


In Dreams

by ThatMasterOnline



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Dream Sex, Dreams, Drunk Sex, F/M, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, no beta we die like zagreus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 28,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatMasterOnline/pseuds/ThatMasterOnline
Summary: If Zagreus won't accept that there is no escape, then perhaps he needs incentive to stay.Tags to be updated as I go along.
Relationships: Achilles & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Achilles/Patroclus (Hades Video Game), Ares/Thanatos (Hades Video Game), Ares/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Ares/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Dionysus/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Hermes & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Hypnos & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Patroclus/Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Poseidon & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 77
Kudos: 181





	1. Ares

**Author's Note:**

> There will be an overarching plot...but it's mostly smut and some very specific fantasies. Will feature Zagreus with quite a few characters. Lots and lots of smut.

_ Hades, the infernal master of the House, has had enough of Zagreus's escape attempts, and so he employs the help of Hypnos to keep his wayward son bound through less forceful means… _

Zagreus was walking through the House. They'd finally gotten that sundial installed, so now he knew it was night. Not that it mattered. Running away from home was an all-hours affair, and after a quick stop to pet Cerberus, that hour was now. The moment he stepped into his bedroom, however, he realized just how exhausted he was. It was a bone-deep exhaustion, and as he collapsed into his bed and curled under the sheets fully clothed, his last conscious thought was that the all-hours affair could wait a few hours.

Sometime later, Zagreus was woken by the feeling of lips suckling at his inner thighs and hands holding his legs apart. He gasped, but immediately one of the hands came up to hold his reassuringly, and he heard himself being shushed.

"Peace, my cousin. It is only me." Zagreus choked on a breath. He  _ knew  _ that voice.

"Lord Ares? What are you doing...What are you doing?"

"I had business down here, and I thought I would come pay my respects to my favourite death-bringer. Now, less talk, my cousin, for there is something between your thighs that begs my attention." Ares's lips moved higher, higher still, and there was no denying any longer that he was aroused.

"Lord...Ares…"

"Just Ares, my sweet. But let me hear your voice, Zagreus. I have longed to bring you the other variety of death in which I specialize." Already Zagreus was thrusting his hips for friction, and Ares did not deny him any longer, wrapping his lips around Zagreus's manhood and sucking it deeply. Zagreus arched, and one hand came up to clutch at his pillow.

"Ares...my father…" A sound as Ares pulled back.

"Does not care what you dream about, so long as it is sweet. Now hush, my cousin. Let me bring you to your death, as many times as you can bear it." He began to suck again, and Zagreus let out a raspy groan.

"A-A...res…" Ares hummed, and Zagrus began to buck his hips. They continued that way for a time, until Zagreus was boneless with pleasure, then Ares pulled back.

"Be forewarned, my kin: I intend to make your first death extra sweet." He leaned farther down and licked a stripe right on top of Zagreus's most intimate place, and Zagreus arched, eyes wide.

"Ahh…! My...my first...How many do you intend to give me?"

"...As many as you can take," Ares said, and then his tongue was inside. Zagreus grunted, and he was barely participating, his mind still struggling to catch up with reality. Ares added a finger to the mix, and then he stopped, giving Zagreus time to breathe...and denying him his orgasm.

"Ah...Ares...My Lord…"

"I like hearing you beg for me, cousin...but the orgasm is so much sweeter when you've been held back a little first." Ares held still until Zagreus had calmed, and then he began to move again. He added a second finger, and then a third, until Zagreus was taught as a bowstring ready to snap.

"Lord Ares...I beg you…" Ares hummed, encouraging him to keep going, but keeping his fingers just slow enough to deny any real pleasure.

"Lord Ares...Ah...This is torture…"

"Of the best kind."

"I beg you, Ares...please…" Ares hummed.

"Very well, I've made you wait long enough." The fingers picked up their pace, pressing where Zagreus wanted in firm strokes. It was too much and Zagreus burst, his body arching and bucking with the force of his orgasm. Ares milked him through it, only stopping when Zagreus collapsed to the bed, panting heavily. Zagreus's eyes closed, and Ares stroked his cheek.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet, my kin, we've barely even started." As he spoke Ares pressed forward slowly, his hardened manhood eased itself inside of Zagreus, and Zagreus groaned.

"My lord...again?" Ares chuckled.

"Oh, my kin...You'll find it will be quite longer than you think before your body stops responding to mine...And we'll continue until your body stops responding." He pulled out and thrust back in slowly, and Zagreus chuckled wearily.

"You must have impressive stamina…"

"They say I am impossible to please…Untrue, of course, but it takes no less than three men pushed to their limits to wring me dry. How lucky I am, then, that the pleasure for me comes not in my own orgasm, but in watching yours." Zagreus's eyes widened.

"Darkness give me strength," He gasped, and Ares grinned.

"Indeed. You'll need it." Ares began a slow rhythm that built up in speed and power as time went on, and Zagreus reached up to clutch at Ares's back, his hair. Zagreus pulled him closer, gasping and mouthing at his throat. Ares chuckled, and oh, he nearly came on the spot from the sound.

"You know just what to do to get me riled up, Zagreus...I won't let a single drop of pleasure go untapped." Their pace was fast now, harsh, and Zagreus could feel another orgasm coming on.

"Ares…" 

"Close again, my kin?" Ares leaned in close. "I won't hold you back this time, so let yourself fall over when you're ready," he murmured, and Zagreus groaned, the pleasure overtaking him. When he was limp on the bed once again Ares's lips curved into a smile.

"I thought so, you're sensitive to auditory stimulation." Zagreus couldn't reply, too busy gasping for air. Ares kept his eyes on him the entire time, taking in every inch of his body with an intensity that had Zagreus stirring long before he felt he had recovered. In a sudden moment of clarity, he realized he had had two orgasms, and Ares had yet to have one, which struck him as unfair.

"Lord Ares, I…" 

"Hmm?" Ares asked, as he began to move slowly again.

"You haven't...had your pleasure, yet…"

"It is pleasure enough to watch you, my kin, but fret not. I will indeed have my pleasure at least once tonight, and it will be all the sweeter for being held back...in fact, I rather prefer it this way." Ares leaned down and kissed him.

"Don't concern yourself with my pleasure, Zagreus, don't concern yourself with anything. Just let yourself feel. When I'm finished with you, you'll have a hard enough time remembering to breathe, it's better not to clutter your mind with unimportant things." Zagreus gave a noncommital hum, and reached back up to card his fingers through Ares's hair anyways. Ares hummed, and began to thrust slightly faster than before, but still slow. He tilted his head to accept Zagreus's touch, then let out another hum. After a few more seconds, he began to set a proper pace, and leaned down to kiss Zagreus's throat. Zagreus found himself hardening again despite himself, and he groaned, prompting a chuckle from Ares.

"Get used to it, my kin...we're not finished by a long shot."

Zagreus groaned again, and tilted his head back as Ares went back to mouthing at his neck. There was something now, about Ares's pace. It was uneven, sometimes speeding up before slowly coming back, sometimes slowing down before speeding up again. And Ares himself...Ares hadn't been one for teasing before, but now he lavished open-mouthed kisses on Zagreus's neck. It was delicious, of course, he certainly wasn't complaining, but...but...Oh, Ares's lips felt so good...What had he been thinking about? Ares's pace increased again suddenly, hands moved to fist in the sheets beside his head even as Ares's mouth continued it's ministrations...and then Ares let out a quiet grunt, the first Zagreus had heard all night, and his body was filled with warmth. Zagreus moved his hands to gently stroke Ares's back, to soothe him and to feel the way his body expanded in controlled, deep breaths. He'd just had his pleasure and he didn't even sound out of breath. But he  _ had  _ gotten his pleasure, Zagreus could feel it between his legs, and somehow he felt...validated. Sure now that his body was not unsatisfying to Ares, that Ares's pretty words were not just to comfort him should he prove disappointing. Zagreus sighed, and Ares let out a short chuckle.

"So keen on my pleasure, Zagreus, it really is quite endearing." But Ares moved his attention back to Zagreus's throat, cutting off all conversation. One hand moved to stroke Zagreus's manhood, another moved to gently rub at his exposed nipple, and his mouth eagerly took advantage of the arch that exposed more of Zagreus's throat to him. Through it all, their hips stayed joined, and Ares's softening manhood felt temporary at best. If his capacity for multiple rounds was as impressive as his stamina, Zagreus knew he'd be back in the mood in no more than a few seconds.

Zagreus felt that it was taking longer to reach his edge this time around, to the point that he felt Ares's manhood pressing impatiently against him, but Ares took his time, patiently working him to his peak despite the arousal he must clearly be feeling. Even his orgasm was more subdued, a shudder and a weak spurt instead of the lightburst of his first orgasm. 

Ares kissed his cheek as he came down from his high, and then pressed into him again. Zagreus shuddered, but his body began to respond weakly, and then with more interest as Ares began to move. Ares watched him keenly, and Zagreus remembered that he had wanted to participate in this lovemaking session. He reached up to Ares again, to pull him down and kiss him, and Ares chuckled. When they broke apart, Ares thrusted faster, harder, and Zagreus grunted. Ares dipped his head to lick at the one exposed nipple - they hadn't even gotten unclothed - and Zagreus cried out. He was fully at attention now, a feat he didn't even think was possible, and as Ares continued to thrust into him he realized he could feel yet another orgasm coming on. He groaned, his body stopped responding for a moment, and in that moment his hold on Ares loosened and he fell to the bed. Ares outright laughed, the sound coming from deep in his chest, and as Zagreus moaned at the sound Ares leaned in close to his ear.

"You are such a delight to have in bed, cousin. Your spirit is truly something to behold." Zagreus clutched at the bed sheets, and Ares braced himself and drove into his body. Zagreus could only cry out helplessly, and he shuddered as he came down from his high. It was weak now, a single wave that weakly lapped the shore and then receded. Ares was still hard inside him as he reached down and gently ran a finger down Zagreus's upper thigh. Zagreus became aware of an ache in his body from the harsh treatment, but Ares began to move again, slowly, and he sighed.

"I think I can pull one more out of you yet, Zagreus. One more, my kin, can you manage one more for me?" It was slower this time, Zagreus's body almost too weak to respond. Respond it did, thanks in no small part to Ares's careful suckling at his body and caresses to his manhood, but not before Ares's thrusts had started to become erratic again. Ares again began to tease at his body, and then a few moments later Ares sighed deeply and emptied himself into him. Ares pulled out, and then it finished as it had started, with Ares using his fingers to pull him into one final, feeble orgasm. 

Zagreus's eyes were closed, had been for some time, he was so exhausted he didn't even have the energy to pant, and once again Ares trailed a finger near his manhood. His hand moved higher, ghosting over his manhood, but then it moved up to rest on his cheek.

"Your body has breathed its last," Ares said, "Impressive, my kin, very impressive. But I've exhausted you long enough." Ares leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sleep now, Zagreus." He didn't need to be told twice, already sinking deep down into slumber.

"Remember, my kin:" Ares kissed his forehead, then placed his lips next to his ear as his voice dropped to a murmur,

"Should you wish to see me again, all you need do...is sleep."


	2. Hermes

After a full day of not attempting to escape, Zagreus retired to his bed and found himself woken again by a head between his legs.

"L-lord Ares…"

"Sorry boss, that was last time, this is me now." It was a rushed voice. His eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up, but Hermes was quicker, putting a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Relax, boss, it's just me."

"Lord Hermes?"

"Heya. Had a message to deliver, delivered it, here we are. Lie back and enjoy it for me, will you?" His head went back down, and Zagreus sighed.

"Lord Hermes…" A few moments later, however, Hermes backed off again.

"Well that was fun. You're nice and wet now so come on, get on top of me." As Zagreus sat up, Hermes pulled his fingers out of himself and moved to take the spot Zagreus had been in, spreading his legs as he did so.

"Come on Zagreus, we both have places to be. Well, me more than you. None of us really. Doesn't matter, just come on and get inside already."

"...Very romantic, Lord Hermes," Zagreus quipped.

"Well then maybe I'll wine and dine you next time, now come on." 

"Well...alright…" Zagreus pushed inside, and sighed.

"There you go, see, not so bad once you're inside, right? Promise it'll be better if you start moving, I'm already ready, so go ahead." Zagreus followed his pseudo-command, moving slowly and then a little bit faster as he started to feel the pleasure.

"Mm, very nice," Hermes hummed. 

"Lord Hermes, are...ngh...Are you sure you'll be able to...get off?"

"Oh of course. You just go nice and fast and I'll get all the pleasure in the world. Come on Zagreus, don't you want to see me all nice and wrecked and moaning for you?" Zagreus grunted and started moving faster. Spurred on by the image, he finally took Hermes's advice and let himself get lost to the pleasure. It was a little slow going, Zagreus usually liked a little more foreplay...or,  _ any  _ foreplay, for that matter, but Hermes was saying lewd things in his ear, and it was just enough that Zagreus felt a coiling in his nether regions.

"Hermes…" he groaned.

"Oh yes, you like that, don't you, I know you do, give it to me nice and hard, put those big strong muscles to use." It was severely lacking in tact or romance, but Hermes did indeed seem to be giving genuine moans between his dirty talk.

"Faster, Zagreus, faster, faster." Zagreus thrust faster, grunting quietly and moaning when Hermes began to groan his appreciation. Zagreus braced himself and kept thrusting into Hermes, Hermes kept up a rapid-fire stream of dirty talk, and finally Hermes arched and came, his mouth never stopping in his dirty talk. Even when he came down he was encouraging Zagreus to keep going, to keep pounding into him until he found his completion.

"Hermes, I…"

"That's it, boss, keep going, give it to me nice and good, you've been close for a while now, so come on, give it to me, give me everything you got. Thrust into me like you do that skeleton of yours, come on, come on." It took a few long seconds, but eventually Zagreus's hips stuttered and he released into Hermes. Zagreus had barely pulled out and taken a breath to try to recover before Hermes got out of bed and washed himself off with a cloth he pulled out of the bag he'd discarded by the wall.

"Hey, thanks for that, Zagreus, it was really nice. Bye!" And then Hermes was off.

It wasn't the most romantic interaction Zagreus was likely to have...but it had a certain charm to it, he decided.


	3. Dionysus

"I notice you have been around the house more of late," Achilles said cautiously, "Are things going well?" Zagreus averted his eyes, wincing when he saw the light of understanding in Achilles's eyes.

"Yes, well, I...just...wanted to recuperate a bit, sir. Gets a bit disheartening dying to that bone hydra time after time."

"Ah. ...Well, let me know if I can be of any help."

"Thank you sir." 

Zagreus curled up in bed, hoping for another one of the kind dreams he's been having.

***

A knock sounded on the wall at the entrance to his bedchambers.

"Special delivery," a smooth voice said, and Zagreus looked up to see Lord Dionysus standing there, holding two glasses of wine.

"Lord Dionysus…"

"Hey, Zag, man, I thought we could relax for a bit, swap some stories, you and I. You interested?"

"That's...a very generous offer, Lord Dionysus, and I accept." 

"Fantastic." Dionysus stepped in and handed Zagreus his glass.

"My special enchanted cups, these. The wine doesn't stop flowing until you stop drinking. My treat. May I?" He gestured to Zagreus's bed.

"Please, Lord Dionysus, be my guest."

"Zag, we have  _ got  _ to get some wine in you pronto. Lay off with the 'Lord Dionysus' stuff, it's way too formal. Tell you what, I hereby give you special permission to call me Dio, yeah?"

"Thank you, Lord...erm...Dio."

"Drink the wine, I'm sure the formality will melt  _ right _ out of you once you've had a few." Zagreus smiled and took a polite sip of his wine, watching as Dionysus took a healthy gulp. Not so much as to be rude, but...the kind of sip like he was drinking juice instead of something that could get him drunk. Although...that was rather the point, wasn't it. To get drunk. He took another sip, and tried to make it a bit larger. Dionysus smiled at him.

"I said the formality would melt out of you, Zag, no need to rush. We have all the time in the world." 

_ My father might disagree _ , he wanted to say, but somehow he got the suspicion that his concerns would be brushed off. So, he drank the wine. When he emptied his fist glass it filled right up to the brim again, and Zagreus took another sip. They talked, they drank, Dionysus told Zagreus about the many parties he'd been to, and Zagreus told Dionysus why he really wanted to leave the underworld. And, as expected, a few hours later they were both very, very drunk.

"My father's the  _ worst _ , Dio," Zagreus complained, laying between Dionysus's legs and sprawled across one of his spread thighs like it was a pillow, "I mean, I didn't expect him to be happy about me leaving...I'd even go so far as to say I almost  _ expected  _ him to try to stop me...But I never thought he'd put a  _ bounty  _ on my head! A  **bounty** !! On his own son's head!" Dionysus ran a comforting hand through Zagreus's hair.

"I know, Zag, it's rough, it's real rough. That's why we gotta get you up to Olympus, so you can hang with the rest of us!"

"Ugh, I can't wait. But none of that matters right now, because...I'm here. And your thighs are...very...very, very... _ very  _ comfortable." Dionysus chuckled.

"Glad to be of service, Zag. Got to admit, I'm really liking this hair of yours. It's nice and soft, feels good to run my hands through it. You've gotta tell me your hair care routine later."

"Blood," Zagreus quipped, and then laughed out loud. Both of them did, their laughter echoing through the halls, and Zagreus didn't care one bit. As his laughter died down he sighed, then turned to nuzzle into Dionysus's thigh and massaged it gently with a hand. Dionysus returned the favour to Zagreus's hair.

"You really are a sight to behold, Zag. Stretched out in my lap, not a care in the world…You should be like this all the time."

"Amazing what you do to me, Dio."

"What I will  _ always  _ do, whenever you want me to." They locked eyes then, and Zagreus wrapped his arms around Dionysus's neck and pulled himself so he could kiss him. Zagreus had a moment of panic, but Dionysus sank into the kiss with a moan, pulling him up so he was straddling his thighs. Zagreus sighed, clutching tightly at Dionysus, who reached up and began to toy with the edge of his chiffon near his shoulder.

"Not being too bold here, am I, Zag?" Zagreus grinned.

"No, not at all." Dionysus pulled Zagreus's clothes off, and then his own, and when they were both nude and kissing again. Dionysus moved his lips to Zagreus's neck, and his hands to his chest and sides.

"Hope you don't mind that I came prepared for the occasion, Zag," Dionysus murmured, as Zagreus heard the sloshing of a liquid he assumed was oil, "The first time someone really lets go all sorts of things happen and you, man, were wound tighter than anyone I've ever seen." Dionysus poured some of the oil on his fingers, then pressed one to Zagreus's entrance.

"Ready for this?" 

"Yes, Dio, please…" Dionysus pressed in, and Zagreus moaned and shuddered.

"Oh, gods…"

"How you feeling, Zag, you gotta tell me. Don't wanna mess this up."

"Feels...strange…"

"Need a minute?"

"N-no...should be alright...Must be the alcohol, I've never been this affected…" Dionysus began to move his finger slowly, and Zagreus groaned, pushing back after a few seconds' hesitation. Soon he was clutching at Dionysus, who smiled, and his other hand moved to stroke Zagreus's hair. Dionysus added a second finger, and then a third, and Zagreus was all but squirming in Dionysus's lap.

"Dio...Dio, please…" Dionysus smiled then, and pulled his fingers out.

"You're the one sitting on top of me, so why don't you do the honours?" Zagreus flushed, and had to bury his face in Dionysus's shoulder for a few seconds to wrestle down an emotion he couldn't name. Dionysus held him through it, and Zagreus held Dionysus back. Eventually, though, he lifted himself up, and let himself slowly sink down onto Dionysus's member. When Zagreus began to move, Dionysus did too, and soon they were both pushing into one another, and their moans were filling the room and probably the rest of the house, too.

"My father-" Zagreus began, but Dionysus cut him off.

"Is absolutely  _ delighted  _ you're getting laid, man, so don't worry about him."

_ How do you know-  _ Zagreus started to wonder, but Dionysus thrust up into him and the train of thought was cut short.

"Ah! Dio…"

"Right here, Zag. I'm right here." Zagreus threw his arms around Dionysus and began to move faster, and he was only spurred on more when Dionysus moaned. He bounced himself on Dionysus's member, with Dionysus pushing up at just the right time every time, and then on one particular thrust Zagreus cried out, and his entire rhythm was thrown off, and Dionysus chuckled.

"Hey Zag, if you're gonna stop every time you touch your special place, we aren't gonna get very far...why not let me do the work from now on?" Zagreus nodded, and Dionysus rolled them over so he was on top.

"Ready for this, Zag?"

"Oh, gods, yes." Dionysus chuckled as he pressed in again, then began to move. As he picked up the pace, he struck that spot inside of Zagreus every time, until Zagreus was boneless and moaning his pleasure. Dionysus kissed him, and Zagreus returned the kiss eagerly, curling his fingers in Dionysus's hair. Dionysus moaned, and he began to thrust faster, and when Zagreus fell over Dionysus wasn't far behind.

"Lord Dionysus…" Zagreus groaned, and Dionysus laughed.

"Pumped the wine right out of you, did I?" he joked, prompting a weary chuckle from Zagreus.

"No, nothing like that. I think I'm so tired I'm going back to my defaults." Dionysus chuckled, pulling out and pulling Zagreus close to cuddle.

"Someday, Zag, 'Dio' will be your sleepy default. Now, you need a nap, am I right?"

"Gods, yes."

"Alright then. You have yourself a nap, and remember I'm always a nap away if you need me."

Zagreus slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter gets wildly out of character for you as I feel it does for me...we'll blame it on the fact that they're both drunk.


	4. Interlude: Nyx, The Olympians, and Thanatos

"You are awake, my child."  _ Blood and darkness, I don't want to have this conversation right now...or  _ ever.

"Yeah, erm…" He couldn't make excuses. To Achilles, yes, but not to Nyx. Never to Nyx.

"You have been sleeping much of late."

"...I suppose I have." 

"Is there something amiss?"

"No, nothing at all."

"...Do you not wish to meet your birth mother?"

"No, I do, do, I just...I just...like taking naps, that's all."

"I see. You are hiding something from me, I sense some embarrassment. Know that nothing you could be keeping secret from me compares to the shame that I myself bear. It would be wrong of me to judge you." Was he blushing? He was blushing.

"I've been having...erm...good dreams? I just...well, it's...I want to keep having them, and…Well." He couldn't bring himself to say anymore.

"I see. Do not feel guilty for abandoning your pursuit of your birthmother, it is clear to me you have little choice in the matter. I will speak to lady Athena and we will see what is to be done about this."

"What's to be done about what? I feel fine."

"I know you do. Do not fret, my child. I will see you on the path to meeting your birthmother again. You are weary, am I correct?"

"...Yeah, actually. It's funny, I used to never be able to sleep, now I feel like I can't get enough sleep. It's a nice change, I suppose."

"I suppose it would be. If you are weary, then rest. Do not think any further on our talk just now, my child, and do not feel guilty about your mother. Rest as much as you feel you need, and let me take care of things for now."

"Alright. Thanks, Nyx. For...whatever you're helping me out with."

"You are catching up on some much-needed sleep and enjoying pleasant dreams, for once. That is all you need to know."

"...If you say so."

"I do."

"...I'm...gonna take a nap?"

"By all means. Pleasant dreams, my child."

***

"Lady Nyx. I fear something is amiss in the Underworld. We have not seen Zagreus of late, and I speak for all of us when I say we are becoming increasingly concerned some ill has befallen our kin."

"You are correct. Zagreus's father has begun using Hypnos to enchant Zagreus. His dreams are now so idyllic he has no wish to leave them."

"I should have expected Hades would sink to such underhanded trickery. I will discuss this matter with my brethren, and we will see what is to be done."

"So long as Zagreus continues to submit to Hypnos's will, he is in no danger, but I fear Hades will show no mercy should he try to leave the house again. Whatever plan we devise, it will have to be infallible."

"Understood." Their communication flickered out. Nyx sighed, ghosting into Zagreus's room. He was asleep, and his face held such peace that it pained her heart to know that the expression was not there naturally. She leaned down, and gave her son a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep well, my child. May your dreams be pleasant."

***

"THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!!!" Zeus roared when Athena called a meeting to pass on the information Nyx had shared. Poseidon slammed his trident in frustration, Ares's face was a mask of cold, hard anger, Aphrodite was pouting, Dionysus looked genuinely angry behind his goblet of wine, and Artemis looked disgusted.

"I might have known he'd resort to a trick like that," she said nastily, "I expected he'd know that a poisoned arrow spoils the meat, but clearly I think too highly of him."

"What I wouldn't give to get my hands on that  _ swine  _ of a brother of mine!" Poseidon thundered.

"So our dear kin has been shackled by his own free will. A most impressive tactic." Ares face was dark, and his eyes burned with fury, but there was no denying the genius of the plan. "I will contact Thanatos and ask him to tell me what is to be done about his brother."

"We can't do anything if Zag's going to get hurt in the process," Dionysus said.

"Zagreus is in no danger so long as the spell is holding him. Lady Nyx has neglected to share the knowledge of Hades's trickery with her son for this exact reason. So long as he is bound, we are free to do as we please. This also means we cannot risk moving until we are sure our plan will work. For now, it would be wise to gather as much information as we can before we decide a plan of attack. Ares, do you believe Thanatos will disclose the information we need?"

"Yes. It will take some persuasion, but I believe I can convince him to tell me what I want to know."

"Very well. For now, this will be our only move. Ares, act with extreme caution. This situation is balanced on the edge of a knife, and tipping our hand too quickly will be disastrous."

"You need not educate me on wartime tactics, my kin," Ares said darkly as he rose. Zagreus was now trapped down in the Underworld, unable to see the light.

This. Meant.  **War** .

***

"Achilles."

"Lady Nyx."

"Speak no more to Zagreus on the subject of his escape, it will only add unnecessary guilt to his already troubled mind."

"I had noticed something was amiss…"

"Indeed. Whatever information you can pass on to me on the subject of Zagreus's dreams will be most beneficial."

"Understood, Lady Nyx."

***

"My dear Death." Thanatos inored him. Souls were crying out for release, and with a single swipe of his scythe the battlefield swarmed with butterflies that flocked to him for guidance. He gathered them close a moment, then gently ushered them on to the river Styx where Charon was waiting. With the souls safely passed on to the Underworld, Thanatos surveyed the battlefield; namely, the Keres that Ares had cut down. 

A gift. A very obvious one, too.

"Such flattery to win my favour ill-becomes you, Lord Ares," Thanatos said as he let his scythe vanish, "Just tell me what you want." Ares smiled bashfully.

"The cause was important enough that it was worth the effort."

"And this noble cause of yours is…?"

"Zagreus's escape from the Underworld."

"Speak plainly, Lord Ares, I haven't got all day."

"I require information about your brother, Hypnos."

"To what end?"

"To free Zagreus from a spell that Hades has instructed Hypnos to put him under."

"I fail to see what good information will do you. If my brother has been ordered to subdue Prince Zagreus, then his dreams of escape are not only lost, they will soon be forgotten entirely."

"You know your brother better than anyone, my dear Thanatos. Is there no way to break my kin free of this spell?"

"Certainly there is. Persuade Prince Zagreus that the waking world is more desirable than the dreams my brother is offering him. If even the promise of his mother cannot do that, then I fear any further attempts will be futile. But, if you are intent on trying, as I suspect you are, your best course of action is to learn the exact nature of the dreams that keep him so firmly bound. Persuade Zagreus to share the content of his dreams. As this entails sharing his heart's most secret desire, he is not likely to let such information slip willingly, but it is at least possible. Hypnos knows far better than to betray someone's privacy in so heinous a manner, so attempting to persuade him to reveal the details of the prince's dreams is beyond futile. Your only hope, if it could be called that, is for Zagreus to disclose what he is dreaming about, and then to offer him something better." Thanatos felt the familiar tug of a soul crying for release, and took his scythe again.

"I must go." He didn't wait for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is high key my favourite chapter so far.


	5. Poseidon's Water Massage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No smut in this one. Not sure if that'll be met with relief or disappointment, but it is what it is~

Zagreus felt like he was floating, he was so comfortable. He must have found exactly the right position to sleep in. He didn't dare move, lest he disturb this wonderful cocoon of peace. Zagreus sighed as a pillow, or perhaps a wad of blankets, pressed firmly into his back in just the right spot. 

"Awake, nephew?" Zagreus gasped, and then groaned as the wad of blankets pressed in a different spot. Different, but no less delicious.

"Lord...Poseidon?" He opened his eyes and sure enough, Poseidon was in his room. Except Zagreus was lying on his bed, and Poseidon was standing, which meant they absolutely should  _ not  _ have been face to face, and yet they were. Zagreus twisted, and immediately panicked when he realized he wasn't lying on his bed but rather floating a solid three feet above it.

"Relax, nephew, I won't drop you. I just didn't want to get your bed wet." Now that Poseidon said it, he could feel the...water, it was water...underneath him shifting to keep its grip on him while he was in midair. It wasn't just underneath him, but wrapped all around him, down to his toes. It stopped at his chest, and Zagreus felt his panic subside...marginally. He still felt a little too trapped for his liking.

"Lord Poseidon, if I may...what, exactly, is this? What was wrong with me being in my bed?" 

"This, specifically, is water, though I suspect you were asking in general. This is a massage. What was wrong with your bed was that I can't reach your back to massage it when you were lying on your back."

"I...huh?" Not the most graceful response he'd ever given.

"You're tense. I don't know if you know this, but water is a  _ wonderful _ masseuse when manipulated properly. Thought I'd provide my services." The water under him morphed, pressing into a knot under his back, and he groaned.

"I'll have you singing my praises in no time, if you're  _ that  _ sensitive. When was the last time you got a massage?" The water pressed, and he moaned again.

"You assume...I've ever gotten a massage…"

"Well, aren't  _ you  _ in for a treat, then! Lay back and enjoy!"

"Not that I- _ ohhhh… _ -have much choice in th-ahh…lay back department."

"Well, so much the better, you can focus all your energy on enjoying yourself!"

And enjoy himself he did. Poseidon massaged every inch of his body, front, back, and sides, and Zagreus loved it. By the end, Zagreus was boneless and limp in midair, as though it were that fleeting second of weightlessness before he fell into the River Styx.

"There now, all nice and relaxed."

"Marvellous...Thank you, Uncle…"

"Anytime, nephew, anytime! Just don't go doing anything strenuous and putting my hard work to waste, you hear?"

"Wouldn't dream of it…" 

"Good." Zagreus was gently lowered to the bed, the water parting before it could wet his sheets.

"Sleep now, nephew. I'm but a breath away if you wish to see me again." Zagreus slept. With such a massage as that, what choice did he have?


	6. Little Zagreus, Happy Dreams

"A moment, lad." Zagreus gulped. He hadn't spoken to Achilles since…

"Sir?"

"I happened to step into your room yesterday. Forgive me, your Lord Father requested it. ...Forgive me."

"Oh. It's no trouble, Achilles, you're welcome in my room anytime, you know that."

"Thank you, lad. That's very generous."

"Of course. But...you didn't call me over just to apologize."

"No, I did, just for...another reason. I also wanted to apologize for my earlier forwardness. It was wrong of me to pry into things that weren't my place, and I made you uncomfortable in doing so. I deeply apologize, Prince Zagreus."

"Oh. Well...it's alright. I'm still...struggling with it myself."

"Which is why my questions caused you grief. Forgive me. I should have known better than to ask while the matter was still fresh."

"It...don't worry about it."

"Have you been recuperating well?"

"Well, but not well enough, I feel, sometimes. I'm...always tired, of late. I know it's not sloth on my part…"

"Perhaps the multiple attempts have been wearing at your good health, and the consequences are just now catching up to you."

"I didn't think it was possible for  _ anything  _ to wear at my good health. Besides, I feel mostly fine, just...been having good dreams of late."

"Oh? About what?" Zagreus shrugged. (Achilles knew that meant whatever was about to come out would be vague at best.)

"Oh...just...the gods. I dream they...come down to the Underworld and say hi. Pretty boring, I know."

"What matters is that you like them. If you ever wish to delve into the deeper meaning of your dreams, let me know."

"I'm good, thanks. I think my dreams have been...pretty straightforward, for the most part."

"Ah, have they indeed? That's a relief. Interpreting one's dreams is perhaps the most frustrating task of all."

"Hey, Achilles, sir? Thanks for...helping me. Being there. Everything."

"Anytime, lad. I'll always be there for you."

***

"Lady Nyx."

"Achilles, you have news."

"Yes. Zagreus claims to dream of the gods coming down to the Underworld and saying hi. He also confessed that he believed his dreams to be free of symbolic imagery. He described them as 'pretty straightforward'."

"I see. That is important. Try to get as much information as you can."

"I will, Lady Nyx."

***

"Good, lad. Try again, but hit me harder." Zagreus, still small, a few centuries old but looking no older than a fourteen year old boy, shifted uncomfortably on his feet and clutched the spear nervously.

"I don't want to hurt you, sir…" Achilles smiled.

"I'm dead, lad," he said gently. Zagreus shifted even more uncomfortably.

"I know, but you still feel pain…"

"And a poor warrior I would be if I couldn't handle a little pain. Come now, lad. Let's spar again, and this time, give me everything you have." 

They sparred, but Zagreus felt...off-balance. He would thrust, certain he would hit, and then...he'd fall just a few inches shy of where he thought his hit would land. He'd aim straight ahead and pierce chest, not neck. He'd stand his ground, ready to block an incoming strike, and Achilles would brush him aside like he was nothing.

"Enough," Achilles said. "Are you well, lad? Your technique lacks its usual finesse." Zagreus's face scrunched up, trying to put to words what was a vague sensation of wrongness at best.

"I feel…like...I shouldn't...like I'm...not me."

"You are as you as you were the last time I saw you." Achilles knelt down. "You're growing, Prince Zagreus. Soon you will no longer be a small god, but a big god like Hypnos and Thanatos. That comes with some changes that can make you feel not yourself. You'll grow out of it, and we'll keep sparring through it." He was blushing, he knew he was.

"Thank you, sir. You've been really kind to me. Much better than my father." Achilles smiled.

"Your father is busy, lad. Do not resent him too much for it."

"You're busy too, but you always make time for me." Zagreus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Achilles's waist.

"I wish  _ you  _ were my father, not  _ him _ ." Zagreus sighed when he felt Achilles return the hug. Achilles patted his back gently.

"We do what we can with the cards we are dealt. Now go on, lad. Your father approves of our training, but your mother will have my head if I keep a growing prince up past his bedtime."

"Will you tuck me in?"

"Ah...I would if I could, lad, but I'm forbidden to enter your private quarters."

"You can't be forbidden, I hurt my hands while sparring, so you have to carry my weapon back for me." Achilles smiled indulgently.

"I think you're mistaken, lad. It was your  _ ankle  _ I injured, and I could not in good conscience let our Prince hobble back to his room and suffer such discomfort, so I elected to carry you back." Zagreus beamed.

"Well hurry up, Achilles, Sir, my ankle hurts."

"Of course, Prince." Achilles lifted Zagreus up onto his back and carried him to his room as promised. He placed Zagreus down on his bed, then gently tucked the covers under his chin.

"Would you like a story, as well?"

"No, I'm okay. But...could your tuck me in again?"

"Tomorrow?"

"No, right now." Achilles laughed, then untucked the covers to tuck them back in, and he smiled as Zagreus visibly relaxed.

"I wish you could tuck me in more."

"Well, the only way for that to happen is for you to injure your ankle, and we don't want that. Not for real, anyways. But enough talk." Achilles patted his shoulder.

"Sleep well, lad."

"Goodnight, Achilles."

***

"You look happy, lad. Something happen?"

"Yeah, actually...I dreamt of you, last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was still a little god, in my dream, and we were sparring, but I was sparring terribly because I was sparring like...well, like I was me, but I was little me so everything was all wonky. Anyway, we, er...we pretended I'd hurt my ankle and you carried me back to my room and tucked me in. It just...it was really nice."

"It sounds positively wonderful, lad."

"And a nice change of pace from my other dreams, they've all been-" Zagreus froze.

"They've all been…?" Achilles prompted. Zagreus shifted on his feet, looking away.

"...More mature, if you catch my drift."

"Ah. Am I the subject of these mature dreams you're having?"

"No, no, I know your heart belongs to someone else. It's...well...a lot of people. Changes every night. Lord Ares, Lord Dionysus...Lord Hermes even came to visit me, once. Not much of a romantic, that one. I- ...Sorry, I'm sure you've no interest in my wet dreams, sir…"

"It's quite alright, lad. You're still a young man, in that regard. Those dreams are only natural. If telling me about them helps you sort out your feelings for the people involved I'm more than willing to listen. Though, if you will indulge my curiosity...Of your nightly encounters, who has been your favourite?" Zagreus looked away again.

"...Lord Ares. He was the first such dream I had, and...he wrung me right out. A-anyways, I ought to go."

"Alright. Come see me anytime, lad."

***

"Excellent, Achilles. I shall send word to the Olympians."


	7. Discussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by blushing Ares and sex-repulsed Thanatos because I'm the writer and I can.

"Lady Nyx, it's an honour for you to grace me with your presence, and to hear from Lady Athena that you requested it, even...I'm quite flattered."

"Thank you, Lord Ares, but the flattery you feel should be directed at Zagreus, for it is on his behalf that I requested this meeting."

"Yes, my favourite death-bringer. I shall have to thank him, when next we meet. How is he faring? I was quite enraged to hear of his affliction, in all truthfulness."

"He fares exactly the same as he did previously. He sleeps frequently, and has ceased his attempts to reach the surface. Lady Athena told me you spoke with my son Thanatos?"

"Indeed I did. Has there been any progress in discovering the nature of my kin's dreams?"

"Indeed there has. Zagreus's dreams, with a few exceptions, involve sexual encounters with the gods of Olympus." Nyx's face did not change as she said it, but Ares's mouth dropped open with shock. He spluttered silently for a brief moment, but recovered himself fairly quickly.

"Well, Zagreus is more of a young man than I previously thought. You said the gods...am I to understand that to mean all of us?"

"It would seem that way, yes. No doubt he holds feelings for you all in his heart, but with Olympus yet so far away he has no means to discern exactly what those feelings are and these dreams are the result. He has confessed that of the encounters he's had thus far...you were his favourite." 

"Ah...Well, I most certainly  _ am  _ flattered." Ares reached up and wiped firmly at his cheeks with his thumb. "I must ask, though, for what reason do I need to be informed of this?"

"I should have thought that would be obvious, for it was you yourself who learned that the best way to pull Zagreus from his dreams would be to offer him something better. To speak plainly, Lord Ares...If the promise of a sexual relationship with you would break him from this spell, would you deliver on that promise?"

"Ah...Well, I cannot deny that the heart that would pursue a sexual relationship belongs to another...On a personal level, Lady Nyx, yes, in a heartbeat. Zagreus is certainly not unattractive, I would gladly pursue a relationship with him. But I have another to consider. ...Is Zagreus safe if I consider the matter for a time?"

"Of course. He is safe so long as he remains sedate. I appreciate the weight of what I am asking, Lord Ares. Take all the time you need."

***

"My child. Thanatos."

"You said it was urgent, mother."

"Yes. I would like, and I think Zagreus would like as well, to stay on Olympus."

"And you and I both know he cannot."

"And you and I both know that the reason he cannot is loyalty to a man who cannot control you." Thanatos narrowed his eyes.

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

"That, when the time comes, you ask yourself what you really have to lose, by giving Zagreus what he wants."

"I have to lose-"  _ my job _ , he almost said, but then he remembered that his job was eternal. None could take it from him without dire consequences for the mortals. But…if that was true…

"There  _ will  _ be consequences for such an act."

"Most certainly. And the question you have to ask yourself is, can you shoulder them to give Zagreus some measure of happiness?"

"This is hardly-" A tug, and then another, and another. A war.

"-I have to go."

"Goodbye, child." But he was already gone.

***

"I thought I said that such flattery ill-becomes you." Ares. Of course it was Ares.

"It does, yes, but I wished for us to have a serious talk. The flattery certainly couldn't hurt."

"If it's serious, then get to the point, I don't have all day."

"You do, actually. I asked Lord Hermes to take over your duties for the rest of today." Thanatos paused, feeling inward. Hermes was collecting the souls almost before they could call for release. He was faster than Thanatos, of that there was no doubt...but he lacked the love and care that Thanatos put into his duties. For now, though, it would suffice.

"Very well. Speak."

"Prince Zagreus's dreams involve sexual encounters with the gods, and I'm the lucky favourite."

"Ah." Thanatos turned away, suddenly interested in a nearby flower. "Congratulations, then. Zagreus is a remarkable man."

"You assume I've agreed already."

"I imagine you'd cause some upset with your relatives if you refused. You're trying to get Zagreus to break free of his dreams, offering your body seems a good way to start."

"Yes, but I have a beloved to consider, and I needed his opinion on the subject. If my beloved tells me to refuse, we shall find another to offer in my stead. Lord Dionysus is currently single, and he would be the best option. He is a considerate, but not particularly invested lover. Exactly what Zagreus needs if he's merely deciding if his feelings for us are gratitude."

"...You will refuse?"

"Again, it all depends on what my beloved thinks. I want to accept, if my beloved would allow me a few moments to explain my thought process?"

"...Very well, but please stop calling me beloved, that's laying it on a little too thick. I think this is the closest you've ever come to grovelling. It becomes you even less than the flattery."

"My dear Death...I begin to get the sense that I've offended you." Thanatos sighed.

"No. This merely comes at a poor time. My mother has asked me to question my loyalties for Prince Zagreus, and now it seems my relationship with you is to be tested as well." 

"Ah...in what way did your mother ask you to question your loyalties?"

"She asked me to act against Lord Hades, and ask myself if I could bear the punishment for Zagreus to be happy."

"And this act of treason is…?"

"I cannot say, but you will learn, provided Zagreus does escape."

"You must understand how inevitable it is." Thanatos sighed.

"And I'm to lose the love of my existence when it happens."

"I was actually going to suggest we take a page from Lord Dionysus's book, in that regard."

"Which page?"

"Lord Dionysus often takes many lovers at the same time, and these lovers have no qualms with eachother, and so they achieve a sort of harmony together, for a time. I know, or I suspect, you bear feelings for Zagreus, and I suspect Zagreus has feelings for you. What I'm saying is...I have feelings for you and Zagreus, you have feelings for Zagreus and I, and Zagreus has feelings for both you and I. What if my relationship with you was not a line, but a triangle?"

"...You want...all three of us...to be in a relationship...at once?"

"Yes. My feelings for you would be unchanged, I would sometimes make sweet, passionate love to Zagreus...while you were away, naturally," he added quickly when Thanatos's face turned down at the mere mention, "and then you would have the chance to deepen your relationship with Zagreus as well, and on those rare nights when the mortal world was not plagued with death, the three of us could lie together, and enjoy a few moments of peace."

"...A moment," Thanatos finally said, and then vanished in a green flash. Ares smiled. Thanatos came and went with barely a moment's warning, but Ares felt it kept some spontaneity in their relationship. Ares shrugged, then gathered up a few stones and began to amuse himself with a children's game he'd observed some time back. One child had proudly declared her record was six stones, and Ares decided to see whether or not that was a feat worth boasting about. He threw a stone in the air, picked up a stone, and caught the first. Easy. He threw the stone in the air, picked up two stones, caught the first. He threw the stone in the air...

***

"Is it true, Lord Dionysus?"

"Goodness, Lord Thanatos, fancy seeing you in my corner of Olympus! But you're not here to chat, so is what true?"

"That you maintain harmonious relationships with two people at once, and there is no strife between the parties involved?"

"Yes, two or more people sometimes. It's a very delicate balance, and it comes when all parties understand that they each bring something different to the relationship, so there's no need to compete for affection. And, of course, all parties involved need to love each other in some sense. If one person is only getting love from one side the whole thing falls apart. It's gotta be perfect, so it's not like I choose partners willy-nilly, it's actually a very delicate process. Are you...thinking about such a relationship, Lord Thanatos?"

"Apparently I am, yes."

"You don't sound too happy about it, and that tells me right away the whole thing is going to go sour. Best not to."

"I'm not...I'm not…" Thanatos sighed, and Dionysus leaned forward.

"Dude, I never thought I'd say this, but you look positively knackered. Have a seat, take a load off, we'll talk it through nice and slow, yeah?"

"Lord Ares is still waiting for my decision." Thanatos said, but he sat anyways, taking a polite sip of the wine Dionysus poured for him.

"Well, you're close with Lord Ares. You've already been in a relationship together, am I right?"

"Yes."

"Good, so that's part of it. The trouble must be the third party. Who is it?"

"Prince Zagreus. Apparently he'd been dreaming of having Lord Ares in his bed, and Ares knows I'm fond of Prince Zagreus…"

"So he wants to make it an official thing, I gotcha. What's the holdup? What's got you so out of sorts about it?"

"I...I'm the god of Death."

"So...you're worried Ares will be spending more time with Zag, since both will be on Olympus, and you'll be off doing god of Death things, am I right?"

"Well...that's the general idea, yes."

"Man, that's something you gotta talk with Ares about. He'll tell you if that might happen or not. I will say this though. These relationships only work if everyone loves everyone, and the second it's not working you gotta break it off so there isn't any more resentment than there's already going to be. Okay? If you think there's at all a possibility it won't work, then don't do it. Okay? It takes a lotta work to keep a relationship like that going, Lord Thanatos."

"I...understand. Thank you, Lord Dionysus."

"Hey, any time. Can I finish your wine, if you're leaving?" Thanatos smiled.

"Go for it." And then he vanished.

***

"Ah, welcome back, my dear Death. I was just stretching."

"I hope I was not gone too...What did you do to your hand?" Ares beamed, and held up his hand, which was now red and raw on all five fingertips and down the side of his palm closest to his little finger.

"I beat the little girl's record. My record. Is  _ seven  _ stones."

"A little girl challenged the great Lord Ares? And the great Lord Ares suffered injury in attempting to best this little girl? You are lucky I am the only one here to witness such a demeaning display." Ares laughed.

"Children do indeed come up with curious games. I would like to think that the urge to kill is bred inside every child, for why else would they be so careless with their own health, if not to prepare themselves for the day they throw away their lives in service of king and country and god? But enough about me, my dear Death, what news of you? To where did you steal away with such haste?"

"To Lord Dionysus. I wished to ask him what he thought."

"And?"

"...I worry that you and Zagreus will share a bond that I am unable to duplicate. Once you receive from Zagreus what I am unable to provide…"

"Then finally I shall be able to love you without being distracted by the untoward urges that would frighten you away. I consider that a win." Thanatos gasped, and then all at once his expression softened. Ares smiled at him, reaching out to run a hand through his hair.

"Have I eased all your doubts, my dear Death?" he asked, and Thanatos smiled, just a bit.

"I think you have. Very well then, I consent to this...triangle of yours." Thanatos reached out to cup Ares's face and brush his cheek with a thumb.

"Thank you for these moments of peace, but I wish to be alone now. I have my mother's words to think about."

"I can offer no assistance?"

"None."

"Then farewell, my emperor, and may your heart not be so troubled when next we meet." Ares stood, and went to report back to Lady Nyx.

***

Two days later, Zagreus found a note under his pillow.

_ Come to me on Olympus, and I shall make all your dreams a reality _

_ -Ares _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is shaping up to be my favourite of the lot, I'll tell you that right now.


	8. Escape

"I'm curious, Lad. Those dreams you mentioned...were there others? You mentioned Lords Ares, Dionysus, and Hermes…"

"And...Lord Poseidon gave me a massage, with water. It was incredibly relaxing. Anyway...I actually...I'm heading out again."

"I wish you the very best of luck."

***

Zagreus took the blood-filled vial from his cabinet of keepsakes and gently put it in a holder at his waist. He would need a boon from Lord Ares if he were to make it to the surface, and...he was excited to see Lord Ares in the flesh.

"Goodbye, Skelly."

"Go get 'em, boyo."

Zagreus jumped out of his second floor balcony and landed on the ground. Immediately, the cries of battle filled the air, and Zagreus felt a shiver run through him.

"In the name of Hades, I accept this message!" 

"Ah, my kin, I cannot tell you how much it lightens my heart to see you awake again. I confess I was taken aback to learn that you've been dreaming of making love to me...but such a dream would keep  _ anyone  _ bound, wouldn't you agree? Now, let's get you up to Olympus, where I can worry about satisfying you as completely as my dream counterpart did."

***

"Lord Hades, sir! Not often we see you round these parts! What brings you down to me and old bouldy, if I may be so bold?"

"I have a request for you."

"Well...certainly, Lord Hades! However I can be of service!"

***

Zagreus was shocked to find a boon from Lord Dionysus waiting on the other side of the door. The first and second rooms? That never happened.

"In the name of Hades…!"

" _ Zag _ …! Man, I cannot  _ begin _ ...I mean, I'm flattered! You think I'm attractive? I mean I  _ know _ I'm attractive, but it's one thing to know you're attractive and quite another to hear in no uncertain terms that you've been dreaming of making love to me! Me, and everyone on Olympus! I do have to wonder, though...you've been dreaming about making a lot of love...and the goddess of love hasn't shown up? Are you put off by the complete lack of clothes? Prefer women who offer more than getting straight to the point? Or are you just not inclined? Anyway, that celebratory feast I'm planning for when you get up here, I've been wondering if we shouldn't make it an orgy, hm?"

***

"Tsch. I'd rather not do this, Lord Hades."

"I don't much care what you want and don't want, Megara, you will do as I command. Now go, time is of the essence."

"...Yes, Lord Hades."

***

"Another boon? They're really bent on getting me out this time...In the name of Hades, I accept this message!"

"Zagreus! Since we're getting you out of here, you'll need my thunder, and I am more than happy to provide! The sooner to get you up here! Believe me, I'm no stranger to the call of my nether regions and I know  _ exactly  _ how powerful it can be. So what say we get you up here and find you a suitable mate!"

***

"Lord Hades. How may I be of service?"

"Thanatos, yes. Sisyphus seems to be going through a grovelling phase again. Go visit him so he can offer his meaningless apologies, I need him to shut up."

"Very well, I have a few moments to spare."

***

"Lady Athena now...In the name of Hades, I accept this message!"

"As I'm sure you've noticed, we are committed to making sure you get out, this time. You will not fail, Zagreus. Be strong, you  _ will  _ escape."

***

"Lord Hades tells me you're grovelling again."

"Yes! Lord Thanatos, I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am that you've come to see me. I want to apologize once again for all the trouble I put you through, but also, I found this around. I think maybe Prince Zagreus left it? I'd be much obliged if you could return it to him."

"Nyx's shawl...Very well, hand it over…" In a flash, Sisyphus had trapped Thanatos's hand in the manacle that had once been around his wrist. 

"Terribly sorry about this, Lord Thanatos, truly," he said as he escaped into another room.

"SISYPHUS!!" Thanatos screamed his frustration at being caught yet again. He pounded his fist on the ground, and screamed again as he felt a soul tugging at him. But then he remembered Nyx's keepsake. If he tore it, she would know something was amiss, and come to rescue him…

***

"In the name of Hades…!"

"Zagreus! Just your favourite uncle, checking in. I hear I put my water to use giving you a massage? Not something I'd ever considered before, but let me tell you I'm considering it now! So let's get you up to Olympus so we can put my skills to the test!"

***

"Lord Hades! This...wouldn't happen to be about the fact that Zagreus broke free of my spell, would it…?"

"Yes, but I do not blame you, Hypnos, it's clear to me your spell was plenty effective, I saw it myself. I have another job for you, when Zagreus returns."

"Heh...uh...Sure thing, boss, name it!" 

***

"I'm going to guess Meg this time-" but the moment he was inside the chamber he was grabbed by the hair and slammed head first into a wall. He cried out, and then knew no more.

***

"Augh!!! That bastard, the gods are helping him!" Alecto, the moment she'd slammed Zagreus's head against the wall, had been struck by lighting.

"As they always do, Alecto. Come on, let's get him to the pool of purging. Then it's your turn, Tisiphone."

"Mur...murder…" Alecto and Meg carried Zagreus's unconscious body to the pool of purging, plugged his mouth and nose so he wouldn't drown, then dunked his head into it. One by one, the boons from Ares, Dionysus, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Zeus, and Poseidon were washed away, leaving considerable coin on the ground, and Zagreus bare and powerless. Then, they tied him up.

"Remember, Tisiphone,  _ don't  _ kill him."

"Murderer...Murderer!"

"Give it a rest, Meg, you're not getting through to that one. Let's just go." As they left, Tisiphone began lashing violently at Zagreus, and it became clear she wouldn't be able to keep him alive as ordered.


	9. A little longer

"Mother! Mother, I'm late, I'm _late_ …!" He pulled at the chains, his wrist already raw, and Nyx hurried to Thanatos.

"My child, I came as soon as I felt you tear the shawl…" She released Thanatos from the chains and he vanished instantly. Nyx stood, and sighed, and her eyes surveyed the room for some hint to the answers she sought.

"Captured by Sisyphus again...How has this happened? He was supposed to have been captured, he should not have been able to break free…"

***

The pool that Nyx had been using to contact Olympus flashed, but she was not there to answer.

***

"She is not answering my hails…" Athena murmured, and then clenched her fists. Poseidon roared and threw his trident against the wall, and mortals below cowered and begged for mercy under a vicious lightning storm and unforgiving seas. 

"...I need to hunt," Artemis snapped, and stormed from the room with her bow. Aphrodite burst into tears, and a yellow line in the center of the room was likely Hermes, pacing anxiously too quickly for anyone to see. Meanwhile Ares was on his knees, trembling with barely-controlled rage. 

"Hades will no doubt punish Zagreus for this treachery…" He growled. And then he vanished, and moments later soldiers fought and died by his blade in the dozens. 

Before he had killed more than fifty, however, he had stopped because Thanatos was already there reaping the souls, he seemed beyond furious, and he was trembling.

"My dear Death…?" Ares began tentatively when Thanatos finished, afraid even speaking would set him off. And set him off it did.

" **Silence**!" Ares shut his mouth immediately, not moving as Thanatos stormed up to him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Thanatos clutched at him with a strength Ares wasn't sure he'd been capable of until now, and they sank to the ground together.

"I'll kill him…" Thanatos said, his voice tremulous, "I don't know how, but mark my words I'll kill him again! I'll kill him again, and again, and again, over and over again for every **second** I was late!"

"My dear Death," Ares said with infinite gentleness, "but give me a name and I will wreak such destruction as to satisfy even this dreadful bloodlust."

"Cursed, blasted _Sisyphus!!!_ I've no idea how he escaped his bonds but he did it _again_ and he captured me _again_ , and it is mere _luck_ that Nyx's shawl was nearby so I could summon her and I want him _dead_!! Do you hear me, Ares? I want him _dead_!!! **Dead!!** " Thanatos fell silent save for his shaky, heaving breaths, and Ares held him close. Sisyphus had captured him _again_?! Ares needed to feel more blood escape by his blade, but not now while Thanatos still needed comfort.

"I give you my word, Thanatos. He will be brought to justice for this."

***

"Damned Tisiphone…"

"Zagreus, welcome back! Says here you got killed by Tisiphone! Why don't you come with me and take a load off?"

"Come _with_ you? But don't you have a job to do?"

"I asked this lovely little lady to do it for me for a little bit so I could take a break! Did you know she can write? Life's just _full_ of little surprises like that, don't you think?"

"Dusa…? You can write?"

"W-well, it was sort of...necessary? I-I wanted to be different from my cousins, I figured if I could write, they'd see I was different! My handwriting's not the best, but I just need to check and make sure everything on the list matches up, and I'll _definitely_ do that, Mr. Hypnos!"

"Thanks Dusa, you're the best, you know that? Now come on, Zagreus! To your room, for a little peace and quiet!"

As they walked, Zagreus locked eyes with Achilles. Achilles's eyes widened, and then he looked away. 

"Achilles looks pained…"

"Does he? I don't talk to the guy much, so I don't know. If it upsets you, though, make sure to ask him about it later."

"I will, yes. I hope he's alright…"

"I'm sure he is. He's dead, right? And it seems like Lord Hades likes him, so what's the worst it could be?" They stepped into Zagreus's room, and Zagreus sighed.

"Hey, room. I'm back." Hypnos laughed.

"Hey, you're really funny, you know that?" 

"So I'm told. So...what did you want to do?"

"Well, I was actually thinking, after Tisiphone...you might need a nap? We could hang out after you've gotten a few hours' sleep?" Now that he said it...Zagreus felt his eyelids growing heavy.

"I...do you mind? Now that you mention it, I _am_ really tired…"

"Of course! I was thinking I might help you along, that's why I asked Dusa to cover for me! Now you just get into bed, Zagreus. The bed is always the best place to be for going to sleep, isn't it…?" 

"Yeah...it really is…" Zagreus staggered to his bed, got under the covers, and lay on his back, only for his head to meet something that definitely wasn't his pillow. He opened his eyes blearily.

"Hypnos…?"

"Shh...Relax, Zagreus, I'm just helping you get to sleep. I'll put you under an extra-special sleeping spell, doesn't that sound nice?"

"Yeah...It does, actually…" Hypnos trailed his fingers lightly over Zagreus's eyelids, and they closed immediately.

"There...just relax, Zagreus. Just relax and let yourself float away...float away like a butterfly…" Hypnos's wandering fingers traced down his forehead and cheeks, relaxing muscles he hadn't even realized were tense. 

"You're so tired, aren't you, Zagreus?" Zagreus gave an unintelligible murmur of assent, and Hypnos's fingers ghosted over his eyelids again.

"Then let yourself float away...Let your body float away, on a cloud...Float away to somewhere all your own, somewhere nobody can find you...somewhere peaceful, somewhere quiet, away from all the noise…" Zagreus sighed contentedly.

"You can see it, can't you? That place is all your own, you know..." Zagreus moaned unintelligibly. "Everything and everyone you could ever want will be there. Friends, family, lovers, no one...Whatever you want or don't want, it'll all be there or not. It's perfect, Zagreus. Just perfect. So quiet, so peaceful, so far removed from the noise that nobody will ever find your consciousness again."

"Never...leave…" Zagreus slurred, and Hypnos moved one hand down to gently and soothingly rub his chest.

"If you don't want to leave you don't have to, you can stay there forever. Doesn't that sound nice? To sleep forever in your special place, where nobody will ever bother you again?" Zagreus moaned.

"Good...I'm going to send you to that place now, Zagreus, are you ready? Just rest, relax your body, let it all go…" Hypnos's fingers trailed over his face, coaxing his muscles to relax.

"That's it...feel yourself lifting up, floating far, far away...There's nothing left for you here, Zagreus, you're so relaxed, so at peace...There's nothing left now...just... _sleep_." The moment he said it the spell fully took effect and an otherworldly stillness settled in on Zagreus. He didn't react as Hypnos gently shifted his head off his lap and onto the bed, he just kept sleeping. 

"...I'm really sorry about this Zagreus. If it's any consolation...now you know what Achilles was so upset about. He's a smart guy...probably figured out what was going to happen the second he saw us together." Hypnos sighed heavily.

"Well...at least it'll be a nice nap…It'll just...last a little longer than you want it to."


	10. Patroclus

"Achilles. Make it fast, I'm busy."

"Yes, Lord Hades. I'd like to request a change of position." Hades scoffed.

"To Zagreus's room, no doubt. You're too sentimental. I knew you cared for the boy, but this is ridiculous."

"I shall inform you if he so much as stirs."

"Oh, very well. Guard his room, if you want to so badly. You can do nothing for him, besides."

"You have my deepest thanks, Lord Hades."

"Get to his room and tell me immediately if he so much as twitches."

"Yes, Lord Hades."

***

Achilles stepped into Price Zagreus's room, and his heart broke. Zagreus was lying on his back under the covers of his bed. His hands were folded neatly and resting across the top of the covers on his stomach, and he was utterly still. Even though Achilles could see him breathing, see his chest rise and fall, the movement was so shallow Achilles felt sure Zagreus was closer to death than to life. Even to Achilles' untrained eye, this clearly was no normal slumber, for there was not even a whisper of movement beyond what was strictly necessary to keep him alive. Achilles took one of the chairs and moved it beside Zagreus's bed to sit.

"Prince…? Wake up, lad." He cursed himself his foolish hope even as he clutched Zagreus's hand and begged him to wake.

"Please, lad. Wake up for me." Zagreus was still warm as he had been in wakefulness, and that was a blessing in and of itself, but Achilles still prayed he'd see some flutter of life in the prince's face.

"Prince…Forgive me, Prince." Achilles readied himself, then pulled his hand back and struck the prince across the face. His head snapped to the side, but there was no other reaction. He slept the same as before, only now he had a tinge of pink blossoming across his left cheek. Achilles bowed his head...and then the dam broke.

He clutched Zagreus's hand, buried his face in his chest, and wept.

***

"Mr...Patroclus, sir?" Zagreus had just stepped into his chamber in Elysium. It was exactly as idyllic as he remembered it. Patroclus sighed.

"It seems the fates have not been kind to you, then. Just as they were not kind to me."

"What makes you say that?"

"I know the look of a lost soul."

"I'm not lost."

"You do not realize you are lost. Nonetheless, here we are...two lost souls with no purpose in our lives…" Zagreus shifted.

"Mr. Patroclus, sir...are you suggesting...what I think you're suggesting?" Patroclus smirked.

"You know already what I am suggesting, because what else could two lost souls do, except comfort each other?"

"But...your heart is bound to Achilles."

"My heart is bound to another I am doomed to never see again, just as your heart is also bound to another you are doomed to never see again. I ask again, what are we lost souls to do, except offer each other comfort for a few brief moments?"

"Patroclus, sir…"

"Please, just Patroclus. I have lost what pride I had. I am not a sir, not anymore. Enough, Zagreus. You want this. I want this. Enough with the dance, let me take you." Zagreus didn't offer any more resistance, he couldn't, and Patroclus removed his cloak and laid it on the soft grass. 

"Come to me, Zagreus." He came closer, his heart and his nether regions throbbing, and Patroclus guided him down onto his back, and settled between Zagreus's legs. He kissed at Zagreus's throat, and his leg rubbed gently at Zagreus's manhood, causing him to gasp.

"Gods...so good…"

"It will be much better soon, I've given and received much comfort in my time."

"Patroclus...Ah!" Patroclus lavished Zagreus's neck with kisses, pulling off his clothes as he did so, and then began to kiss down his body. Patroclus sucked at a nipple and Zagreus arched, then suddenly he felt a deep sense of...he couldn't describe it. He didn't want to lie back and receive pleasure anymore, he wanted to give it.

"Patrocous, wait, I want…" Patroclus pulled back curiously, and with a force that surprised them both, Zagreus flipped them over, made short work of Patroclus's clothes, then began to lavish _his_ neck and chest with attention.

"Zagreus...I told you, I do not deserve-"

"I won't lie back and receive," Zagreus said firmly, "I won't. This time, _you'll_ be the one crying your pleasure." Zagreus made his way down, and Patroclus smiled.

"...Very well. Please me as you will, so long as I can return the favour in kind."

" _Deal_." Zagreus wrapped his lips around Patroclus's manhood, and Pateoclus grunted. Zagreus sucked with an energy he didn't know he had, and Patroclus clutched at his cloak and began to pant.

"Your devotion to the task...stirs feeling in a heart I thought long since dead, Zagreus…" Patroclus said with effort. Zagreus grunted to acknowledge the complement, but didn't stop. Soon, Patroclus bit down on his knuckle to keep the sounds at bay as Zagreus's careful efforts brought him to the edge and over. Patroclus panted shakily, and Zagreus kissed his thighs and stomach and chest to help him come down. Finally Patroclus sighed and flipped them over, planting a kiss on Zagreus's jaw.

"And now, allow me to make good on my promise." Patroclus took his time working his way down. He sucked and licked at each of Zagreus's nipples, then his stomach, then he nipped at Zagreus's hipbone - and then he kissed the spot apologetically when it turned out Zagreus was oversensitive there and he spasmed and cried out - and only once he had lavished Zagreus's body with kisses and Zagreus was trembling with want did he finally wrap his lips around Zagreus's weeping member.

Zagreus moaned, and as his pleasure began to build he ran his fingers through Patroclus's hair and cupped his face. Patroclus hummed quietly, but otherwise did not acknowledge the tender gesture. Soon enough, Zagreus spilled himself into Patroclus's mouth, and as he lay panting Patroclus seemed to have a change of heart about affection, curled up behind Zagreus and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Zagreus placed his hand on top of Patroclus's, and his eyes closed wearily.

"You will leave me soon, I sense...Thank you, Zagreus. You are an utterly devoted lover, and I hope I was able to ease the pain in your heart, for a time."

"Well...I can't say my heart needed to be eased...but thank you. And I hope...someday...you begin to see that you are...also worthy of love and devotion…"

"A noble sentiment." Patroclus took a breath.

"Sleep well, Prince Zagreus. May your next dream bring you all the comfort you deserve."


	11. Complaints, Thanatos, and a Ferry

"Thanatos. Would you care to explain to me how Sisyphus escaped his bonds?"

"Would _you_ care to explain to me how Sisyphus escaped his bonds? He'd already escaped them when I arrived. I'd wager his grovelling was so that he could trick me into getting closer so he could capture me again and escape. Which again begs the question, how _exactly_ did he escape his bonds? I question the security in this place."

"And _I_ question your _tone_. Nonetheless, I will look into the matter."

"And I expect Sisyphus to be punished for this."

"As he will."

***

"I heard Thanatos spoke to you about his recent capture. I imagine I have many of the same questions he had."

"And you will have answers, Nyx, if I have to torture them out of Sisyphus myself. I only ask a little patience."

"I have little patience for my children being injured under your watch, Hades. See to it that such a breach does not happen again."

"...I suppose I deserve that."

"...What news of Zagreus?"

"Boy's run off to the surface, I don't care. Treachery in this house left, right, and center."

"He wants to be with his birth mother. That is not treachery, it is his right."

***

"No, not yet-!" Another failed escape attempt. Zagreus fell, but it was different this time. This time, he was...dead, but not. His body was heavy and unresponsive, but his eyes stayed open. It was almost peaceful. It _was_ peaceful. He watched as the shades smirked to themselves and went about their business. The butterflies from one of the soul catchers settled on top of him. Soon he was covered in butterflies, and he began to feel weak. Just as he thought he might lose consciousness, however, a toll sounded.

" _Begone_." And with a gust of wind, every single butterfly vanished.

"Got yourself killed again, I see. I could never give you what you wanted before, but...now, at last, I feel I have something to provide. I can give you peace. I can give you release. No matter how many times you fall, I will _always_ be there, Zagreus. I will guide you to the river styx, and grant your soul the release it craves. It may not be what you want, but...when your soul calls to me, I will answer." Zagreus watched as Thanatos picked him up and cradled his body gently in his arms. Thanatos held him like he was precious, and Zagreus wondered for a moment if this was what it felt like to be a soul. Awake, wanting to sleep but not being able to. Then...Thanatos gave sleep to insomniac souls. Zagreus had never understood before, but he thought he did now. Green light flashed, and then they were at the river Styx. Charon was waiting, standing silently in his boat, as always.

"Charon. Please make sure his ride is a peaceful one." Thanatos gave over a hundred obols to that end.

"Heeeeeehhoohhhh…"

"Thank you." Thanatos stepped aboard, lowered Zagreus gently to the boat's floor, and made sure his head was resting comfortably on the small pillow. Thanatos gently caressed Zagreus's cheek.

"Until next time, Zagreus." Thanatos stepped off, and the boat began to move slowly. Thanatos watched Zagreus, and Zagreus watched him, but then Thanatos vanished in a flash of green light, and Zagreus felt himself drift off to sleep.

When he woke later, the ferry had reached its destination. Charon picked him up with what Zagreus thought was unusual care, and lowered him into the river. The sensation was indescribable. The best massage, the floating feeling just before falling asleep, it was perfect and utter relaxation and contentment. And...release. It felt like being released from prison. For a moment bliss was all he could feel, and then, with his soul finally free and on the way back to the house, he slept.


	12. Retribution

Ares was walking through the kingdom that once belonged to Sisyphus. There were two reactions to this. Some murmured his name in awe, bowed...merchants offered for him to take any of their little baubles he wanted.

Those with sense - particularly, he noticed, the elderly - and how strange, mortals did not live long enough for the original destruction of Sisyphus's kingdom to be among living memory - saw his presence for the warning that it was, took their loved ones, and fled. Good. Every war needed survivors to tell of the great deeds, after all. 

...Oh, three reactions. A young soldier ran up to him and dropped to the ground in front of him.

"My great Lord Ares, if our armies can be of any service to you, you need but call on us."

Come to think of it...

"...You know, I think you _can_ be of service."

"Anything, Lord Ares, name it."

"You will have noticed citizens making plans to leave the city, for fear of my presence here?"

"I...I have, Lord Ares?"

"If you would kindly inform them all that they are very wise to leave the city, and that the deceiver, Sisyphus, even trapped down in Tartarus, managed to once again capture Lord Thanatos. I would have thought he'd learned his lesson after the last time, but it would seem more destruction is necessary. And...should you wish to survive...it would be best to be outside the city by nightfall. Tell no one of my plans, not even your fellow soldiers."

"You...mean to destroy the city, Lord Ares?"

"I do."

"Because of the deceiver Sisyphus?"

"Correct."

"I...thought that was an old wives tale...very well, Lord Ares. I cannot stand against you, so...I will do as you ask."

"Good man. Off you go, now." The soldier stood and left. He would likely send his family away as well. 

Ares remained in the city until nightfall, and just as the sun set, the young soldier returned to him and collapsed to his knees, panting and clearly exhausted.

"It...it is done. There a...are...no more...who...will...leave the...city...I think...They ha-have…all be...been...told…"

"Good man."

"My Lord Ares...By your le...leave...I shall...take mine?" Ares smiled.

"Yes, very well. Live to fight another day, but remember: there is no hope for these people, and you would do well not to earn my ire by trying to save them."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Go, then." The man stood, and left. Ares kept his promise, waited until the sun had fully sank below the horizon and the townsfolk had lit their fires. Then, he struck. He rained down bloody terror on the civilians. Some he slaughtered quickly, others, like soldiers, he took his time with, whittling down both their strength and their hope before finally dispatching them.

Thanatos appeared with his scythe in his hand as he always did. Ares looked around, at the bodies, the blood...but more importantly, he looked at Thanatos. Thanatos finished collecting the last soul, then stood at the center of the city, his face a mask of stone, and surveyed the damage, the violence. Ares eagerly waited for his assessment. To Ares, it was a fine display of bloodshed that would be spoken about in whispers for years to come. Every man woman and child slaughtered, rivers of blood through the streets...but it wasn’t about what he thought, it was about what Thanatos thought, and whether it was enough to satiate the rage inside of him that so very rarely bubbled to the surface.

“...The mortals will see this as senseless violence,” Thanatos said.

“There are citizens left alive, and I made sure all of them knew they were being punished for their former king’s conduct in the Underworld. They know Sisyphus captured you again and I am seeking retribution for that fact.”

“So they know.”

“They do.”

“Hmm.” Thanatos went back to surveying the damage in silence. Ares waited with bated breath, stared intently at Thanatos’s face to catch any hint of his thoughts before he spoke them, but of course Thanatos hid his feelings better than that. In the end, it was easily ten or more minutes before Thanatos moved. He raised his hand and pointed to the palace in the center of the city. It had been completely rebuilt and renovated, and looked nothing like the original...but it stood in the exact same spot as Sisyphus’s old palace. Sometimes, when it came to the gods’ rage, one’s only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Ares knew that very well.

“That building. Crush it. Burn it. I want to see the ground underneath where it once stood.” Ares obliged. He was nervous, admittedly, with Thanatos watching him work. But the building was lit aflame, it was burned, it was torn down in a magnificent display, and when the fire had burned out Ares sent the crushed remains flying in all directions, revealing the dirt underneath.

“Move.” Thanatos stepped forward, and Ares stood back to let him work. Thanatos raised his scythe, brought it down upon the earth...and nothing happened. Well, nothing visible. _Something_ clearly happened, because immediately upon the completion of the scythe’s swing Thanatos took a deep breath and let it out in a contented sigh.

“There. Now, perhaps, the mortals have paid enough for their king’s foolishness.”

“May I ask what you did?”

“I cursed the ground. Nothing will grow there, ever again. Anyone who chooses to take up residence there will fall ill. The mortals will no doubt come to believe the spirit of king Sisyphus is responsible somehow. I don’t much care what they believe, so long as none build a palace there ever again. This spot, right here. Nothing will grow there again. The land will feel my wrath for eternity. The people who live here will see what becomes of those who anger death.” 

“As they should. Mortals have forgotten their fear of death, and that must be remedied. The very ground where the deceiver king walked is now cursed, that none may stand where he stood again. ...As always, your take on death is a very admirable one, even if I myself do not share it.”

“...Let us go. I’ve no wish to return here anymore. No doubt the shades born of this destruction will find their way to Sisypus, and that is enough for me...for now.”

“As you command, my emperor, so shall it be done.”

Thanatos turned to walk away, but then he paused. He turned back to survey the destruction. For a few long moments he watched the blood slowly flow into the cracks of the streets. And then he smiled.

“I didn’t think I would ever be satisfied, but you have truly outdone yourself, Lord Ares.”

“What else can I do, when my dear Death comes to me in such a state of disarray? Thanatos sighed.

“Perhaps Lord Hades will allow me to borrow one of the furies’ whips. Getting to inflict a few lashes on Sisyphus’s person myself might just do me some good.”


	13. Hypnos

The mortals had been cowering under days of rumbling thunderstorms. Athena hadn’t tried to contact Nyx again for fear of causing their connection to be discovered. They had, after all, agreed that Nyx would contact the olympians only when she was able. Athena reaching out had been due to the dire circumstances, to warn Nyx, perhaps, if necessary, give her time to flee before Hades could punish her, too. Knowing that this attempt could have had serious ramifications for Nyx and their young relative had put a damper on the whole of Olympus. Thunderstorms rumbled constantly and the sun hadn't been visible for days, the seas were choppy at best and merciless at worst, Dionysus had refused to party, and countless wars had been started in a vain attempt to ease Ares's need for bloodshed.

All in all, the mortals didn't know what had happened, but they were cowering and begging for mercy all the same. 

"Is there nothing we can do, Lady Athena?" Hermes asked for the umpteenth time, "Anything, anything at all."

"There is nothing, Hermes," Athena replied with dour patience, "We must wait for Lady Nyx to contact us."

***

Nyx, as was her custom, stood in her favoured spot, close to the center of the earth. The days came and went, as usual, but she felt lighter. Zagreus had never been gone this long before. In all likelihood, he had made it to the surface. Perhaps Thanatos was wrestling with himself. Perhaps he already had. She would ask, when next she saw him, but after the incident with Sisyphus she found it doubtful Thanatos would return for some time. In the meantime...all was well.

***

"What...is this place, Hypnos?"

"Well, I really can't say. What does it look like to you?"

"It looks like…like the river Lethe. Wisps of cloud everywhere…"

"Then it's the river Lethe. Eternal amnesia might not be your ideal way to spend eternity, but it's nice to ease the pain for a bit, isn't it?"

"I'm not in pain."

"Course you aren't. You weren't in pain before you decided to float in the river Lethe, and now that you're here you're just extra blissed-out. Isn't it nice?"

"It is, and I'm not complaining, but...why am I here?"

"Because you felt like being pleasantly blank for a little while. Nothing wrong with that."

~~ If I was happy, I wouldn't have wanted to float in the river Lethe to forget about it. ~~

Zagreus frowned, but a wisp of river passed over his face, his eyelids fluttered, and when he opened his eyes he couldn't remember why he had been frowning.

"Looks like the river swept away a bad thought. Don't think about it too much though, you might make it come back."

"...I used think Elysium would be boring. It's...not all that bad, though."

"Nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there?"

"That...sums it up quite nicely. Erm...why are you here, Hypnos?"

"Oh, just felt like relaxing. Got a day off, felt like spending it with you."

~~...Why am  _ I  _ here? I should be trying to escape. ~~

Zagreus frowned again, but another wisp of river passed over his face, and the thought that had made the frown appear was gone and forgotten before it could fullly upset him.

"You're... _ really  _ bad at being in the river Lethe, there, Zagreus. The point is to forget, you shouldn't be  _ trying  _ to have thoughts."

"I'm not  _ trying  _ to have thoughts, they just sort of...happen. Hey...how come I can have thoughts at all? I thought the river wiped away all thoughts."

"Nope, only the bad ones. I guess they have a different feel to them or something? It's a little bit like...Oh, I don't know...being drunk, or something. Not that I've ever been drunk, but it sounds like that's what it would feel like."

"Hm. Strange."

"But nice."

"Very nice, yes. Can I swim?"

"Don't know how well you can swim on cloud, but hey, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? Wait, don't answer that, it might provoke a bad thought." Zagreus turned and began to try to swim. As it turned out, swimming in the river Lethe didn't lead to much. There was no force propelling him either way so his strokes barely moved him anywhere. 

"How will I get out?"

"When you want to leave the river'll spit you out. Or you take a nap and the river spits you out anyways. Doesn't like people with  _ no  _ thoughts, I guess."

"Hmm…I don't suppose we could just...float in silence for a while?"

"Sure! If you wanna talk just let me know."

"Thanks, Hypnos." 

Hypnos's eyelids fluttered. And then he smiled.

"Hey, no problem. What are friends for, right?"

***

Two weeks. It had been two weeks. Zagreus must have escaped by now. And so, in the dead of night, Nyx used her pool to reach out, and immediately Lady Athena responded.

"Lady Nyx, I cannot express how relieved I am to hear your voice."

"Why is that, Lady Athena? Did you think me unwell?"

"My relatives and I have been most worried since our failed attempt to bring Zagreus to- ...this is news to you." Nyx had gasped.

"I...I was calling to ask how Zagreus was faring on Olympus, I was sure he had escaped...Hades told me he had escaped…What happened? Tell me everything."

"All three fury sisters were lying in wait. They ambushed him and rendered him umconscious, then dragged his lifeless body to the pool of purging. We have seen nothing of him since. I attempted to contact you at once when we failed, but you did not respond. We feared you had suffered Hades's wrath for your part in this."

"Hades and I have an understanding. He cannot directly act against me, as I cannot directly act against him. If your attempts to bring him to the surface failed, then he has been missing for two weeks. I must find him, excuse me."

"Contact me the moment you have word."

***

"Lady Athena, has there been news?"

"Hades has managed to lie to Lady Nyx. She was unaware of Zagreus's failure, she believed him to be on Olympus with us. She is now searching for her son."

Athena didn't need to say anything else. They all knew what it meant. Nobody who wanted Zagreus's freedom had seen him in two weeks. 

"...Anybody else wanna drown their sorrows?"

Very few refused.


	14. The Truth

"I'm busy, mother. I have a lot of thinking to do, thanks to you."

"Where is Zagreus?"

"I've not seen him."

" _Find him_ , Thanatos." Thanatos closed his eyes, searching for the familiar presence of Zagreus's soul.

"...He's in his room." Nyx whirled, and Thanatos followed her into Zagreus's room. Both gasped at the sight before them.

" _My child_ …!" "Zagreus…"

Achilles retreated to a corner of the room and looked away, to let them have as much solitude as he could give while still technically under orders from Hades. 

Nyx and Thanatos knelt on the bed, silent. They both knew Hypnos's power, and so neither wasted any time trying to wake him. Zagreus was always so animated, and to see him so still was deeply unsettling, even to Thanatos. He took Zagreus's hand on impulse, then glanced over at Nyx.

A single, sparkling tear trailed down her cheek. Thanatos pulled her into his chest, and swallowed thickly.

"...Please, Thanatos, do not blame your brother for this." Her voice was even, but quiet.

"I don't. I blame Hades." Nyx took a breath.

"...Achilles. ...Achilles." Achilles snapped back to attention.

"Forgive me, my Lady Nyx. I was attempting to give you some privacy."

"How long has he been this way?"

"About two weeks. When I saw Hypnos walking Prince Zagreus to his room…" He looked away again. "...I asked to be stationed here, that I might watch over him."

"Thank you, Achilles. It is comforting to know that he has not been alone all this time." Nyx stood. 

"I must contact lady Athena." Thanatos stood as well.

"I must go as well. Achilles...as you were."

"...Thank you, Lord Thanatos." 

Achilles resumed his place, seated with both hands holding one of Zagreus's.

***

"Lady Nyx. What news."

"...Eternal slumber." 

Silence fell.

"...Please accept my deepest condolences, and know that neither I nor my family will give up until Zagreus is where he belongs."

"...Thank you. ...Forgive me, I must go."

"I understand. Take heart, Lady Nyx. With all of Olympus on your side, you cannot fail." Nyx nodded, but she wasn't making eye contact.

***

" _Talk, wretch_."

"Lord Thanatos! Er, again, very sorry about-"

" **Do not try my patience!** How did you get free of your bonds?"

"Oh, er...trade secret-"

"Zagreus slumbers eternally and _you_ played a part in it. Talk now and I will _consider_ not chaining you and old **Bouldy** to the bottom of the magma in Asphodel."

"Zagreus…? Ah, I see. I was meant to serve as a distraction, then."

"So you _do_ know something."

"Begging your pardon, Lord Thanatos-" "Not likely." "-but...Lord Hades put me up to it. He gave me the shawl, let me free of the shackles, and told me to capture you again. He said with the shawl you would be held captive no more than a few minutes. Also promised more breaks from pushing old Bouldy if I succeeded...and...I did. Again, begging your pardon, sir. I...couldn't refuse a direct order from Hades himself. I...really am very sorry for the trouble I caused."

"...By the time I'm through with you, old Bouldy will be the _least_ of your worries." Thanatos vanished.

***

Mortals feared the end of the world, such was Zeus's wrath when he heard what had befallen Zagreus. Poseidon was in a similar state, and Ares was at a loss just imagining how his butterfly was taking the news.

"We storm the Underworld," Zeus said, "All of us. Hades has kept us from our kin _long enough_! He has _no_ right to keep him there, and I think it's high time he **learn his place**!"

"We will need a plan of attack," Athena said.

"Destroy anything and anyone who stands in our way," Ares growled, "With our combined might Hades doesn't stand a chance."

"... _I can help!_ " Hermes shouted suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"I can give Lady Night a heads up so she and her children can get to safety!"

"...Yes. Yes, you can, Hermes. Alright. Lord Dionysus, I think we'll all need a party after this."

"You will never see a greater feast in the whole of eternity, I give you my word!"

"Alright. Everyone, prepare what you need. We hit hard, we hit fast, we get in, we get Zagreus out. We leave tomorrow. Agreed?"

"Agreed!" 


	15. Demeter

"Do mortals _get_ _used to_ the cold?" 

"Generally, no. They do, however, learn to wear layers, unlike you, young Zagreus."

"I, er...don't have much for a wardrobe."

"I can tell."

"Why do mortals need to wear layers? Don't they just...stay inside, by a fire?"

"Most do, but mortals have a tendency to romanticize the oddest things."

"Like being  _ cold _ ?"

"No, like being warm  _ in _ the cold." She took off her cloak and draped it around his shoulders. It was warm, more so because of her body heat. Zagreus pulled it close as she led him to a bench and sat him down.

"Mortals find much beauty in being as you are now. The frigid, unforgiving cold is right there, and yet you are kept safe and protected by the warmth of a cloak. I've never seen the appeal, but humans are utterly fascinated. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation."

"I...do see the appeal, actually. My own cloak, perhaps not so much, but...your cloak, protecting me from the cold...it feels like...like…a physical manifestation of a mother's love...Sorry, I don't mean to cause offense."

"Were it any other I would take offense, but you have lived your life not knowing your birthmother, so your sentimentality is entirely forgiven. In fact, I'll even encourage it." She wrapped an arm around Zagreus and pulled him so he could rest his head on her shoulder. And, in that exact moment, it began to snow. Zagreus could only stare in wonder.

"...It's beautiful…"

"I suppose it is a gift that you understand mortals so clearly as you do...Oh dear, young Zagreus, I seem to have offended you." Zagreus had frowned and scrunched his face slightly. "I did not think you the type to take such a sentiment as an insult."

"It's...nothing serious, really, just...Alecto, she would call me redblood, say I was closer to a mortal than a god...It's made the subject something of a sensitive one for me, that's all."

"Ahh...Perhaps you are, and perhaps you aren't. You certainly have no mortal lineage, so whether your mortal traits are a gift or a curse is something you alone can decide...And aren't we lucky to have the perfect spot for you to sleep on it, for a while."

"Yes...Won't you be cold?"

"I'm the one who brings the cold, my dear. It doesn't affect me as it does you." Zagreus hummed a response, then clutched the cloak tighter. For a while they watched the snow fall in silence.

"...Thank you for this, Lady Demeter."

"Even I am not immune to bouts of sentimentality, from time to time. I hope you can forgive me for it."

"Oh...of course." They lapsed into silence again. Zagreus's eyelids began to feel heavy. Outside the bitter cold was waiting to nip at his skin, but here, Lady Demeter's cloak kept him warm and safe. He felt...at peace. He thought he heard Lady Demeter humming, but he was too far gone to be sure. Eventually, with his head on her shoulder and his body wrapped snugly in her cloak, he fell asleep.


	16. The Temple, Elysium, and Hermes

"Alright, does everyone know what they're doing?"

"Warn Nyx to get her children out."

"Get Zagreus, eliminate anyone that stands in our way."

"Organize a feast for the ages."

“Alright, everyone...go! Hermes, run like you never have in your life, give Lady Nyx as much warning as you can.”

Hermes was already gone.

***

“Hiya, Lady Nyx, got a message here, it says: ‘Get your family out, we’re taking Zagreus by force and it won’t be pretty.’ You got a response?”

“If anyone touches the dog I will force the guilty party to tell Zagreus personally,” Thanatos cut in.

“Do not touch the big red dog, got it,” Hermes replied. “One last thing, the official plan is ‘kill anyone who opposes us’, so tell your friends who can’t leave to stand aside. Well, I’m off, don’t wanna tip our hand. See ya!” And Hermes left.

“Thanatos, get your brother,” Nyx said, “You know where we will meet.” And she vanished. 

Thanatos did indeed know where they would meet. Nyx had covered a little corner of the world in darkness, such that none could find them - ‘except, perhaps, for Lord Chaos,’ Nyx had said, ‘but they do not meddle in our affairs anymore’. Hades wouldn’t have a chance. This would strain their relationship, no doubt, but Thanatos suspected Nyx had made her decision. She could bear Hades’ wrath for Zagreus’s happiness. Could he? But before he could think about that...

***

“Heya, boss,” -Hermes came to a stop in front of Zeus as they entered the Temple of Styx- “message for you. ‘If anyone touches the dog I will force the guilty party to tell Zagreus personally.’ From Thanatos.”

“Well, Cerberus isn’t here, so we’ve no need to worry about that for now. Artemis, can you keep the hound contained if we run into it?”

“Sure. Traps are easy to set.”

“Zagreus always killed vermin here, in his escape attempts,” Ares said, “He searched for some concoction to give to Cerberus to bribe him away from the entrance. If we find that, it will help us later on.”

“Not likely," Artemies responded, "This is Cerberus we're talking about here. That worked because it was Zagreus and Cerberus would never harm family. We're not family. We'll have to do it thr old fashioned way. Anyone want to buy anything?" Artemis jerked her thumb over to where Charon stood offering his wares.

"How did he know we would be coming?" Poseidon wondered aloud.

"The boatman, perhaps even moreso than Lord Thanatos, exists entirely outside the realm of our influence," Athena replied, "He does as he pleases, and he gains his knowledge in a way that only he knows. That must suffice, as answer. If we've no wish to buy anything, let us carry on."

"...A moment," Ares said.

"We cannot dawdle, Ares," Zeus cautioned as Ares jogged over to Charon.

"I've no intention to." He paid one thousand obols and took two bottles of ambrosia off the boatman."

"Planning on courting someone, Ares?" Zeus asked as they kept moving.

"With luck, yes. It will be useful later." Finally, the group headed down, past the temple into Elysium. The colliseum was empty, as clearly nobody had been expecting their arrival. They went through and, as expected, the shades' eyes went wide when they saw no less than six Olympian gods.

"We go to the House of Hades," Ares said, "We have no quarrel with you shades. Stand aside, and you shall not come to harm." Ares kept walking, and the other gods followed his lead. There was a pause, as the shades tried to process and figure out how to react. Ares already knew what would happen. 

Most stood aside, backed away and kept their eyes downcast. Really, who would knowingly quarrel with the gods? But, as Ares suspected, there was one fool who dared, and Ares made quick work of them, leaving their soul to attempt to regenerate. 

"Send word ahead, to the other shades in Elysium, if you please," Ares said, and they all rushed shead of them. This was probably the most action they'd seen in eons, no doubt they all wanted to play a part. Sure enough, their trip through Elysium was smooth and straightforward. As they passed through a room where a lone man was sitting, that man spoke.

"...If I might borrow Lord Hermes for a moment? I've a message I wish to pass down to the House of Hades."

"Certainly!" Hermes said, as the other gods kept walking.

"Tell Achilles...I will wait for him. As long as it takes. Please, come to me. Tell him that."

"Will do, sir!"

***

"Achilles." It was Thanatos who stepped into Zagreus's room. Achilles looked up from where he sat.

"You'll want to say your goodbyes to the prince now. And stand aside, when the time comes." Thanatos left, but Achilles understood.

"Did you hear that, lad?" Achilles asked, "You're going to be free. You'll be where you belong, on Olympus."

Zagreus slept soundly away, and Achilles took off one of his bracers and slipped it around Zagreus's wrist.

"Something to remember me by," he said. And then he leaned over Zagreus, kissed his forehead, then pressed their foreheads together as Achilles drank in Zagreus's warmth for what he knew now would be the last time.

"If I am reaching you at all, in your dreams," Achilles said, "I pray I am telling you what a delight it was to be your friend and caretaker. It has made me the happiest I've been in a long time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would be a good time to say that I haven't actually beaten hades yet, so I haven't met Persephone or done any of that. That might end up being relevant to the storyline, or at least, there's a scene that will make that fact painfully obvious, maybe. 
> 
> Also a few of you have mentioned Persephone, and just like with Thanatos, she won't appear until I meet her. So...please bear with me, I *really* suck at Hades. She'll make her way into the epilogue, I imagine.


	17. Asphodel, Tartarus, and Reunion

It was in Asphodel that they started to have problems. 

"This  _ heat _ …!" Poseidon said, and he was definitely looking unsteady on his feet.

"Perhaps because you are god of the seas," Zeus mused, "We  _ are  _ very far removed from any oceans…"

"I don't know how Zagreus does it."

And then there was a hiss, and the bone hydra appeared.

"I can charm a lot of things, but a hydta isn't one of them."

"Zeus, Ares, focus on the large head. I will keep you safe from the others."

"Understood." Zeus and Ares whittled down the hydra's health, and then there were a lot more heads than before.

"Impressive that Zagreus was able to defeat the Hydra singlehandedly," Artemis said.

"And with how slow he is, even more so," Hermes commented, dodging in and around every attack as he did so.

"Let's just kill this thing and move on, shall we?" Poseidon said. He knocked the Hydra's heads away, but his attacks held considerably less punch than usual.

"This never happened when I was aiding Zagreus," Poseidon grunted.

"Because you yourself were up on Olympus. Peace, Lord Poseidon, you shall be back in your element soon enough."

They did eventually defeat the Hydra, and after that things were relatively easy, although Poseidon was relegated to the back of the party. Though they all grumbled about the heat, it was Poseidon who was most relieved when they crossed into Tartarus and were met with three fury sisters. Ares glared, as did Athena.

"Murder…" Tisiphone moaned.

"There will indeed be murder," Ares growled darkly, "and I will enjoy every moment of it." Compared to the bone hydra, even all three sisters were nothing, and they eventually killed them and continued into Tartarus. Cerberus stopped them next.

"I'm up then," Artemis said.

"Remember, if you touch the dog, Lord Thanatos will make you tell Zagreus personally and watch him break down and cry."

"Thanks, I'd rather not. Dog won't have a scratch on it," Artemis replied. She kept her word, luring Cerberus into the river. 

"We won't have long before he swims back," Artemis said, "Let's go."

***

A loud boom sounded, and Thanatos looked up.

"Damn, they're fast," Thanatos said. Hades stood from his desk, grabbed his helm, and stormed off. Thanatos gripped his brother by the wrist and vanished. They appeared next to Nyx, who sighed.

"You are both safe."

"Anyone wanna fill me in on what's happening?"

"The Olympians are taking Zagreus up to Olympus," Thanatos replied.

"Oh. Well, good for him."

"...You're welcome to sleep now, if you'd like."

"Oh...you read my mind," Hypnos said around a yawn.

***

"Oh! Just remembered, have to go on ahead for a second!" And Hermes left.

***

"Heya, message for Achilles, from Patroclus. 'I will wait for you, as long as it takes, come to me.' That's it, gotta go now, rescuing Zagreus and all that, bye!"

Achilles sighed. If this was how Zagreus felt in his dreams...no wonder he never left them.

***

The house was overwhelmed in moments. Five gods kept Hades at bay, and Ares strode into the house. His glare was enough to keep the shades cowering under desks. He stepped into Zagreus's room, and Achilles looked up. He closed his eyes, ran his fingers through Zagreus's hair, kissed his forehead one last time, then stood.

"...Take good care of him, Lord Ares."

"I give you my word," Ares replied. He slipped his hands under the covers, picked Zagreus up in his arms, and held him close. He turned to leave.

"...Wait!" He stopped, turning to look.

"Take me- ...Allow me to accompany you to Elysium, I beg of you." Ares shrugged.

"If you can keep up, you may accompany me anywhere." Achilles ran past Ares out the door, stopping to grab the slip of paper he would need from Hades's desk.

"Lord Ares, I beg your indulgence," Achilles said, presenting it to Ares as he spoke.

"Certainly," Ares said, and his power to rip the paper to shreds, "A favour, for tending to my kin while he was indisposed."

"You have my deepest thanks, Lord Ares." They left, and Achilles felt his heart stop when Hades himself was between them and the rest of the gods. The other gods seemed to treat this as no matter.

"Ah, good!" Zeus said, "Then let us be gone from this place!" Hades whirled, his eyes settled on Zagreus, and his already murderous glare darkened.

"Don't you dare-!" But Athena blocked the attack, they skirted around Hades, and ran. They heard a growl.

"The dog!" 

"Aphrodite?"

"Leave it to me," And then Cerberus barked and laid down.

They ran like they never had before...or at least, Achilles did.

"Do you notice he's not following us?" Poseidon said with a slight frown.

"I suspect he knows he will get Zagreus back, but I am unsure how or why," Athena said.

With all the enemies defeated previously, the way back up was easy. When they made it to Elysium, the shades went about their own business. They entered a chamber, and Achilles staggered and fell to his knees when he caught sight of Patroclus.

"Patroclus…!" 

"Achilles…" And then his face broke into a smile.

"You got yourself a godly escort, Achilles."

"I received your message from Hermes. The contract is broken, I...can stay." Through it all, the Olympians spared them little more than a smile.

"Lord Ares." Achilles pressed his forehead to the ground.

"I shall never forget this."

"Again, I owed you a small debt, consider it paid, and chances are we will never speak again."

"Yes, Lord Ares." The gods left.

"...The kind stranger, is he leaving the Underworld? What was he doing, unconscious in Lord Ares's arms?"

"He has been attempting to escape. His father, Lord Hades, punished this treachery by ordering Hypnos to curse him into an eternal slumber. It would seem the gods have had enough of Lord Hades thwarting the Prince's escape attempts. His name, by the way, is Zagreus. Best learn to speak it, for I considered him my son and I will speak of him often."

"In a strange way...I considered him my son, as well. Each time I saw him, the lad was halfway to death's door, sometimes bleeding so heavily I felt sure he would collapse at my feet. And yet no matter what he always presented me with a bottle of nectar. A kind soul, to be sure." Silence descended upon them. They turned to look at eachother.

"Patroclus...I cannot begin to ask your forgiveness"

"Just...kiss me. We'll talk about it later but I've been missing you for too long to deny the comfort of your embrace any longer."

They kissed. They kissed and kissed, and they made sweet, tender love, and when they had both drank their fill of pleasure, they slept. When they woke, they kissed again.

"...So, Achilles. Tell me of Zagreus, this rebellious son of ours."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to include the Achilles/Patroclus smut scene, decided it would ruin the pacing? Another fic, perhaps. Already have a ficlet planned for sometime during or after I finish writing this. 
> 
> Anyways, use your imagination for what happened ^_^


	18. Olympus

They made it the rest of the way out with no trouble. As they were making their way up to Olympus, however, Zagreus began to look somewhat pained. His slow, steady breathing nearly doubled in pace, and suddenly it looked as though he couldn't get enough air.

"Something is amiss," Ares said.

"A nightmare, perhaps?" Zeus suggested.

"...Ares. It would be best if you summoned Thanatos the moment we get to Olympus. With Hades's lack of pursuit and this sudden ailment I have a chill in my heart I cannot shake," Athena said, and Ares nodded.

By the time they made it back to Olympus, Zagreus's condition had worsened. His breathing had continued to speed up, and then it had begun to slow. 

"He grows cold," Ares said, and as they arrived Dionysus saw at once this was no time for celebration.

"I've got a bed this way," Dionysus said, leading them to a plainly but extravagantly furnished room, all white. It looked like a perfect room for Zagreus, one that he could model to his liking afterwards. Ares laid Zagreus down on the bed, then went to his own room.

Once, as a symbol of their love, Ares and Thanatos had exchanged keepsakes. With both of them having been held captive at some point in their lives, they shared a vial of their blood. A single drop spilled, and the other would come to the rescue at once. Ares opened his vial of Thanatos's blood and spilled.

***

"Ares calls."

"Of course he does," Nyx replied.

Thanatos vanished, and he appeared in Ares's room. Ares whirled to face him, but he didn't need to say anything, Thanatos already knew.

"Zagreus is fading, isn't he? Bring me to him."

"You speak as though you knew this would happen. What do you mean fading, he cannot be dying."

"He is." The gods parted to let Thanatos pass, then left entirely when he dismissed them with a wave.

"We'll be outside if you need us," Poseidon said. When it was just the three of them, Thanatos looked down at Zagreus. He was pale, and he was barely breathing.

Time to choose.

"His soul is tied to the Underworld. He cannot stay on the surface, or he will die. Here we are."

"You cannot be serious, Thanatos. After...after everything we did? There must be  _ something _ ."

"There is."

"Then do it, Thanatos, I won't lose him after everything we faced to retrieve him."

Hades would be  _ furious _ . Could he permanently damage his relationship with Hades, potentially be banned from the House, potentially cause ramifications for Hypnos and Nyx, for Zagreus's happiness?

He thought, then, of Hades's trickery. How Hades had told Sisyphus to capture him again, used him as live bait to get Nyx out of the house so she would not hear something was astray. No doubt if he confronted Hades he'd be entirely unapologetic.

_ You had the shawl, you weren't bound for more than a few minutes. It was inconvenient, nothing more, a harmless exchange that served my purposes. _

All so Zagreus would stay trapped. All so that he could be placed in eternal slumber without Nyx's knowledge. So communication with Olympus would cease, and Zagreus would no longer be an escape threat. Perhaps he planned to wake him after a few eons. Perhaps then, after eons had passed and Olympus had forgotten about him, Zagreus would abandon his escape attempts. 

Thanatos thought of Zagreus, utterly still in his bed, sleeping peacefully and living in limbo. He thought of how he felt in that moment, the pang of fear, of grief, how he too had been a breath away from tears. He thought of Zagreus's reaction if he knew he had been on Olympus and lost everything, if he ever found out Thanatos could have stopped it, and he knew. That was what he would be condemning Zagreus to, should he allow him to fade here. A life of misery, if he were not confined to slumber the moment he returned. Could he cut ties with Hades to spare Zagreus a life of peaceful dreams and give him genuine happiness?

Yes. In a heartbeat.

"I'm going to sever his connection to the Underworld. Be forewarned, this will be painful for him." Thanatos called his scythe to him, and focused. He saw the threads wrapped around Zagreus's soul, the ones that now squeezed tight in response to their distance from the Underworld, and would only loosen once he had returned. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and cut one.

At once Zagreus jerked and let out a choked cry, his body tensing from the pain. He cut another, and Zagreus cried out again, and clutched at the bedsheets. A third had Zagreus panting and groaning.

"Two more, Zag, two more," Thanatos murmured, and then decided to just get it over with and cut them in one go. He took a breath, cut the last two strands, and Zagreus screamed and then fell limp to the bed. He panted for breath, but as soon as his breathing evened out he was the same as he had been, sound asleep.

"It's done," Thanatos said. "He's not tied to the Underworld anymore."

"Is he still affected by your brother's spell?"

"No. But he's been in a deep, undisturbed sleep for the better part of a month. Waking will take time, and it's best not to try to force it. Let him shake off the spell in his own time. Now, I must go. I need to speak to my mother."

"Come visit, when you can. And, thank you."

"...Hades won't be happy about this. But...for his happiness...I can shoulder the punishment." He vanished. Ares sighed and left to face six very concerned gods.

"Thanatos has severed his ties to the Underworld, he is in no danger," Ares told them, "All that is left is to wait until he wakes, and then he will be free to live here on Olympus eternally."

"Well what say we move the party to Zag's room then? Because I say we party, and Zagreus deserves to wake up to a party!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the vial of Thanatos's blood is a reference to another fic that I will find and link here.
> 
> Link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28637175


	19. Waking, Sleeping, and a Grape

Laughter. Zagreus heard laughter. Laughter, and voices, and merrymaking. A deep voice penetrated the layer of unintelligible voices suddenly. It started the same pitch, then increased in volume and pitch, and then went back down. Loud, joyful laughter echoed after the voice, and then an enthusiastic response that meant nothing to him. How odd. Usually his dreams were crystal clear, specific events, not darkness and the impression of merrymaking. How odd, he thought again as his vague dream faded out of existence.

***

The same dream again. Laughter, voices, merrymaking. A smooth voice tugged at his memory, the knowledge of the voice's owner on the proverbial tip of his tongue, but it never came. He wanted fiercely to see him. He was so close…! This voice laughed loudly, and continued to speak, just as unintelligible as the last time. The pull relaxed,  _ he  _ relaxed, secure in the knowledge that he was safe next to this joyful mystery man. A woman's voice joined in, speaking even more unintelligibly than the rest.

Soft, he felt soft. 

...No.

_ He  _ didn't feel soft, he was... _ lying _ on something soft. He was lying on something soft, and people were making merry. This was like his dream with Thanatos, where he died but he was still awake. 

"...been there! …" The smooth voice said loudly before fading into obscurity again. He was lying on something soft, and people were making merry right beside him, in voices he couldn't understand. What was happening? He groaned quietly, a low sound he wasn't entirely sure he was in control of, and a voice spoke excitedly. A woman, but a different woman from before. The smooth voice returned, but the dream was fading away again, and the last thing he remembered was a vague impression of colour.

***

When Zagreus woke next, he opened his eyes and sat up under a strength he wasn't sure he had. There was a table set up, and all of the gods were there celebrating. Celebrating?

"Hey, look who it is! Join the party, Zag, man, you're the guest of honour, after all!" Zagreus looked over toward the source of the sound, the same smooth voice as before, and saw...Lord Dionysus, that was his name.

"Lord...Dionysus…"

"Hey, Zag," Dionysus said, his voice softer, "Here, open your mouth." Confused, Zagreus opened his mouth, and Dionysus pressed a grape inside. He chewed slowly and then moaned as the exquisite flavour burst in his mouth. 

"Man, the grapes are good, but not that good. Were they not feeding you down there-oh."

"Given that our kin has been asleep for the better part of a month," a deep voice to his left said, "it is very likely that they weren't feeding him, and that grape has been the first he's eaten in quite a long time…Good morning, my kin," he added, when Zagreus's head turned to find the source of the voice. White hair, red eyes...Ares.

"Hmm…" He hummed, and his eyes started to close again.

"Ah, it's still too early yet," Ares said, and then a set of hands was gently guiding him back down to the bed. Bed? Next to a table? Zagreus opened his eyes, and felt around with his hands, and saw that it was indeed a bed he was laying on. A very comfortable one. ...Bed? Next to a table?

"Sleep now, my kin," Ares said, "My good Lord Dionysus will ensure the party continues until you are awake enough to enjoy it, is that not correct?"

"Absolutely right, Lord Ares. Zag, you take all the time you need."

Zagreus hummed a response, and he was asleep a few seconds later.

***

"I told you he would need to sleep it off in his own time. I  _ am _ glad his slumber is more natural this time, though."

"Indeed, I confess he gave me quite a turn when-"

" _ Than _ ," Zagreus groaned, struggling to sit up and cutting off whatever Ares had been about to say.

...He was at a table. Why was he at a table?

"Hey Zag, have a grape." He looked up just in time for Dionysus to gently nudge a grape past his lips. He chewed, and moaned again as the flavour burst in his mouth like nothing he'd ever tasted before. But, Than! He swallowed and tried to look around.

"Right here, Zag." He looked to his left, and spotted Thanatos, and then Lord Ares, both of whom were looking at him. Ares was smiling, Thanatos had his usual taciturn expression.

"You look like you can barely keep your head off the table, Zag." Zagreus closed his eyes, but shook his head sharply to wake up again.

"Than. You're here. Where is here?" Thanatos smiled.

"...Olympus."

"Olympus? But...what happened? I don't-"

"Look here, Zag." Zagreus turned, was met with another grape in his mouth, chewed, and moaned again.

"I don't think that's ever going to get old," Dionysus said, grinning.

"It's a long story, Zag, but I'm not telling you until you're more awake. Besides, I...have to get back. Hades doesn't like having me around the house, but he also doesn't like when I'm gone for too long. I'll see you around, Zag." And then he vanished in a flash of green light.

"My father?" Zagreus asked, looking thoroughly exhausted but confused, "He never minded-"

Another flash of green, and Thanatos was back.

"Mother Nyx sends her regards, and wishes you the very best life on Olympus." Another flash of green.

"I'm...confused...How long was I out?"

"A very long time, my kin," Ares said. "I give you my word I'll explain everything.

"I'd...very much like to hear it now…" His head was starting to nod again.

"When you're more awake, Zagreus. Sleep now. We have eternity for you to shake off this spell, there is no rush." Zagreus felt himself starting to sink again, but he shook himself awake one last time.

"A bed...next to a table?"

"So you could be closer to the party, man!" Dionysus said, "Couldn't very well leave you out of the party in  _ your  _ honour, now could I? Come on, tell me the party didn't penetrate into your dreams at least a  _ little _ bit." Zagreus thought of his first waking moments, the vague sense of merrymaking, and he smiled.

"That was...very kind of you…"

"See, what'd I tell you? Now you have a nice nap, and when you wake up properly we'll see about getting you involved in the party." The bed was comfortable, Zagreus realized as he sank back into it. The blankets were duvets, and they felt like clouds, and he loved it. He sighed and closed his eyes to drink in the comfort of the bed.

"...Man, that Hypnos really packs a punch."

"From the god of wine, that's a high compliment."

"Look at him! Poor kid's been sleeping nonstop for  _ days  _ and still he can barely keep his eyes open! Not for a second did I think sleep could be used as a weapon, but now I'm really thinking…"

Zagreus was asleep before Dionysus finished the sentence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Not for a second did I think sleep could be used as a weapon, but now I'm really thinking this Hypnos is *not* a guy you want to piss of." is the rest of the sentence.
> 
> Also: "Hey Zag, have a grape" cracks me the hell up and is probably in my opinion the single funniest line in this whole fic.


	20. Filling in the Blanks

When Zagreus woke the next time, he stayed that way. He sat up in bed, shook his head and groaned, then put his elbows on the table and looked around.

"Zag, welcome back! Have a grape." Dionysus slipped a grape into his mouth and he moaned at the taste.

"These grapes…" Zagreus said, "I've never tasted anything so exquisite in my life."

"Well, you've been sleeping for a month, Zag. This is the first food you've had, and clearly you've forgotten how good food is."

"I suppose I did...wait, a month? I've been sleeping for a month? What happened?"

"An awful lot, Zag...Not really my place to speak of it, I'll let Lord Ares fill you in." Zagreus turned to Ares, who was smiling.

"You do indeed look like you've rested more...very well then, I think it's time. While we talk, please do enjoy the feast Lord Dionysus has prepared." Zagreus finally turned his gaze to the spread of food before him. With each bite and sip of wine the flavour overwhelmed his senses so intensely it was almost painful, and he moaned. He would be embarrassed, were it not for the fact that Dionysus was enjoying himself immensely.

"What do you remember last, my kin?" 

"I...don't know. My memories are all scattered, they don't make sense…"

"I suspected they would be. Cast your mind back to the last time things made sense, the last time you were sure you were firmly rooted in reality." Zagreus was silent for a time.

"...My escape attempt. Everyone was helping me. You...you sent me a note."

"I did, and I intend to make good on that promise...once you're up to speed on what's happened. Do you remember what happened with your escape attempt?"

"I failed...somehow. Wait, Alecto, I think I saw Alecto. Anyway, when I got back to the house, Hypnos and I went to my room, he offered for me to sleep off my encounter with Alecto...and...I don't...I don't remember anything after that. Well, nothing that makes sense, anyhow. I...tried to escape again? Or maybe I didn't…"

"You didn't."

"I...oh."

"I sent you that note because Hypnos had been ordered to bring you pleasant dreams, such that you would not wish to leave your bed for fear of losing those dreams." Zagreus's eyes went wide. He'd stopped leaving the house because of his dreams...and Nyx had said something about letting her take care of things, hadn't she?"

"Nyx knew, didn't she?"

"Yes. She contacted us, I asked dear Thanatos for advice, and his suggestion was to learn what you were dreaming about and offer you something better. Nyx told us you had been dreaming of making sweet, passionate love to the gods, and I gladly offered my own body to spur you to leave."

"But, I never told Nyx- Achilles. He...When I told him...he went and told Nyx right away, no doubt. So then...you sent that note, I tried to escape, and failed…"

"Yes. You failed. And as punishment Hades ordered Hypnos to place you under an eternal slumber. If he could not coerce you to stay, he would force you. Since that time, whatever you remember is nothing more than a dream from your month-long slumber. For two weeks we heard nothing of you or Nyx, and I for one feared the worst had happened. Then, we learned Hades had lied to Nyx, saying that you had escaped, so that she would not search for you. When she discovered what had happened, we on Olympus stormed the Underworld, and I personally plucked you from your bed and carried you from the Underworld up to Olympus."

"Wish I could've been there," Dionysus interjected, "it sounds like it was quite the party." Ares smiled at him, and continued.

"Achilles was watching over you, in your sleep. When I arrived, he requested to be able to follow me up to Elysium, which I obliged. He also asked me to burn a contract of sorts, which I did. Achilles is now in Elysium with a dark-skinned fellow. I suspect they are or were lovers, now happily reunited."

"Patroclus...Yes, I was trying to get them back together...So...they're together now?"

"Living happily in Elysium, no doubt. I believe that bracer you wear is a keepsake of his." Zagreus looked down at his right arm, and saw one of Achilles's bracers. For a few moments he was so overcome he couldn't speak.

"...So...you brought me to Olympus, and that's that?"

"Not quite. Your soul was bound to the Underworld. Within moments of your escape you began to fade, and Thanatos tells me you would have perished and gone back to the Underworld had he not cut the ties that bound you. It seems it was an excruciating experience, and I'm glad you don't remember it."

"...I was bound to the Underworld...and Than freed me? Wait...he said, I think...something about Hades not liking it when he was gone…"

"He did, in one of your brief moments of wakefulness. As I understand it my dear Death endured whippings for a while, when there were no souls calling to him. He was to report to Megara the moment he was free of his duties, and they had a special symbol for if his duty called. He said Nyx asked him beforehand to consider whether he could shoulder the punishment for your happiness, and he decided he could. Don't feel guilty; live your life up here to the fullest, and that will be enough for dear Thanatos. But, he is no longer under terrible scrutiny from Hades, so he comes to Olympus from time to time. More so, now that you are here."

"...And...Nyx?"

"Hades has been quite cross with her too, it seems, but she is, as always, taking Hades's ire with good grace. She sends you her best wishes. Thanatos told you this already, but you may not remember." Zagreus sat in silence for a while, taking slow bites of the food and digesting everything he had heard.

"...Cerberus, by the way, is fine," Ares added, "Thanatos told us quite strictly when we stormed the Underworld that if any of us harmed Cerberus he would force the guilty party to tell you themselves and bear witness to your grief."

"So Cerberus is alright?"

"Not a scratch on him." Zagreus sighed with relief.

"...He's probably made a mess of the house…"

"I cannot say. You will need to ask Thanatos about the house. All I can speak to is myself and my relatives here on Olympus, who are delighted to have you."

"But my-" Zagreus cut himself off.

"Your…?" Zagreus looked away.

"I...I...I...I learned...I...My...I...Nyx...Nyx isn't my mother." Ares's jaw dropped.

"Indeed?"

"No, I...My mother is...Persephone. I wanted to meet her."

"...Then I'm afraid I must disappoint you, my kin. Persephone is dead."

"No, she's still alive somewhere, I just have to find her. I...I have to find her. I...want to know why she abandoned me."

"...Very well. I shall take you down to the surface, and we will endeavour to find your birthmother."

"Thank you, Lord Ares."

"Just Ares, my kin. Like my dream counterpart, I fully intend to give you indescribable pleasure when next you feel like going to bed."

Zagreus ate silently after that, too busy trying to stop the burning in his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still more to this story, not to worry! I still have Persephone, some smut, and one last plot twist up my sleeve before we round this off!
> 
> Editing this chapter to say: I did it. I finally beat Hades and met Persephone. I...wow. Anyways, expect a Persephone that might be slightly (?) more in-character mext chapter!


	21. Feet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Persephone says something to the effect of "your burning feet went cold, I saw it, how can you be alive?" when you meet her? So I now headcanon that Persephone is absolutely obsessed with touching Zagreus's feet because she simply can't believe that his feet haven't gone permanently cold and now that she has him back in her life she's going to make up for lost time touching and cooing over his burning feet. Like she loved them so much when he was born and thought it was so cute and she was utterly devastated when those special little feet went out? So now they're back and burning hot and she's committed to adoring them...and Zagreus tolerates it because he wants his mother to be happy.
> 
> Long story short...I THINK IT'S CUTE, OKAY, LEAVE ME *ALONE*

They went down to the entrance of the Underworld, at Zagreus's request. 

"Nyx, she...gave me some directions…" Zagreus followed those directions, whatever they may have been, and his demeanor was so far removed from the Zagreus that Ares had come to know that he trailed behind, silent. Zagreus, too, was silent, save for the occasional gasp and breath of wonder. In time, they came to a small house, and Ares kept back. He had seen Persephone once before, and knew this was indeed her. He'd thought she'd been lost…But this was Zagreus's time, so he stayed back and let them have their moment.

He heard shouting at one point, Persephone angrily demanding Zagreus leave, and then Zagreus insisting on staying...and then crying. Lots of crying. After a few minutes, Persephone herself came out, accompanied by Zagreus.

"Erm, Lord Ares?" Zagreus began, "We, well...I was thinking you might...come inside?"

"...If you wish it, then I will be most happy to accompany you," he replied. Truly, he didn't know why Zagreus would want him when meeting his birth mother, but he wouldn't refuse. He politely sat at the table, and Zagreus asked his many questions, and she asked hers. She made a point of saying that she would go straight down to Hades and ask why she had not been informed of Zagreus's continued existence. She insisted he take off his shoes at one point, and despite how awkward and very strange it must have felt Zagreus put his feet in his mother's lap and let her touch them...despite the fact that she burned herself every time.

"You were...you were so delightful," she said tearfully, "Your body, so perfectly normal, but those little feet burning hot to the touch...when even your feet turned cold I knew the worst had passed…" She put his feet down to wipe at her eyes, then picked his feet up again. She stared at them, ran her fingers along them gently, careful not to tickle, and when he and Zagreus locked eyes Zagreus smiled bashfully. Ares smiled back to offer support.

"Look at those little toes…" she said as she gave them a few taps, and Zagreus flushed pink. Ares couldn't help it anymore; he laughed, and Persephone looked up.

"Oh! Of course, I'm embarrassing you. You could have said something, Zagreus." Zagreus looked away, still pink.

"You looked...happy. I...I didn't want to interrupt you."

"Well of course I'm happy, but that doesn't mean I can just embarrass you in front of your…?" She looked questioningly between them.

"As of right now, good friend," Ares answered smoothly, "but, with a little luck...soon-to-be-lover."

"I can't just embarrass you in front of your good friend and soon-to-be-lover, then. I'll touch your little toes when you're asleep. You will stay the night, won't you?"

"Of course." Not a moment's hesistation. Ares stood.

"Perhaps I should take my leave?" he suggested, "You and your mother clearly have much to discuss. And...toes to touch?" he added, purely to watch Zagreus groan.

"Not you too…" Ares laughed.

"You're welcome to stay, if you'd like, Lord Ares. Any soon-to-be-lover of my son is welcome here."

"I thank you for your generosity, Lady Persephone, but I will not intrude on this time any longer. Though, I do have one question. Your mother has long since believed you dead...do you wish me to tell her?" Persephone looked away.

"Not yet."

"Very well then. Zagreus, when you wish to return to Olympus, you need but call me."

"Thank you, Lord Ares."

"Just Ares, my kin. We are soon-to-be lovers, after all." Zagreus groaned again.

"Please stop." Ares laughed as he vanished.

***

"Tell me, Zagreus. Do you not...are you not cursed as your father is?"

"I don't think so? Oh, my ties to the Underworld. I was cursed, and Ares tells me I almost died and went back on the way to Olympus, but Than cut the strings, so now I'm free."

"I'm glad to hear it, but...Ares tells you? Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't. Father wasn't too happy with me trying to escape the Underworld, so he had Hypnos place me into an eternal slumber. Everyone on Olympus came together and recused me."

"I have to hear this story...but be forewarned that I've half a mind to go to Hades right now and ask where he got the authority to keep me from my son."

By the time Zagreus had finished recounting everything that had happened, it was late.

"Mother...do you mind? I'm...actually feeling a little tired."

"Oh, of course. Let me show you to your room. I never knew why I had a spare room, I didn't ever want guests...But I guess now I know."

"...I know, too. In the Underworld I was always restless, I never felt like I belonged. Here, and on Olympus...I feel I can rest easy now."

"Well, my bed is always open to you...By the way," she added, when they were there, "I was wondering...all those times you spent running, trying to escape...Your feet must hurt from it all." Zagreus's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He  _ had  _ mentioned his most recent escape attempt had been a month ago, hadn't he…? But then he saw a hopeful look in her eyes that he found he couldn't deny.

"...Yeah. A little, actually." She tsked, but her eyes lit up.

"You poor thing...I'll give you a nice, relaxing foot massage, and then that'll help you get to sleep, okay?"

"I...yeah, thank you, mother." It was weird. It was so weird, but...she just looked so happy when she was touching his feet, and she'd referenced his death by saying 'when your feet went cold', so...he figured it was...helpful for her, in a way? Like...a reminder that his feet were there, and burning still, and he was still alive? He wasn't about to question it. It made his mother happy, and after years of thinking he'd been dead, he wouldn't deny her anything...even if that meant enduring awkward foot massages.

"Alright! You just lie under the covers and relax, alright?"

"Sure...won't you burn your hands?" 

"Oh, not to worry, I'm sure I'll figure it out. You just close your eyes and sleep, Zagreus."

"Right...Goodnight, mother."

"Goodnight, Zagreus." Zagreus closed his eyes, and Persephone took his left foot and gently pressed her thumbs into the sole. It...actually felt nice. She relaxed the muscles even though they didn't need to be relaxed...Or maybe he was just really tired. He shifted to get a little more comfortable, Persephone switched to the other foot at some point in time, and soon everything faded into a softness that led him into sleep.


	22. Solidifying Bonds - Ares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever bang out twenty chapters of plot, some with smut, and then suddenly get really caught up...on smut? Because that happened. I wanted to make this chapter better than the first? But I also wanted to get the damn thing posted.
> 
> Update on my game, I have beaten Hades three times. Still dissapointed Zagreus doesn't get to live happily ever after on Olympus.

He woke in his room alone...thank the Gods. He loved his mother dearly, but if he'd woken to find her still massaging his feet he might have panicked. He got up and padded into the kitchen, and found his mother already there.

"Good morning, Zagreus! Do you want breakfast before you leave?"

"I...do, yes." 

After a hearty breakfast, his mother hugged him tightly and said: "Alright, off you go. To Olympus, and your soon-to-be lover. Come visit sometime, won't you?"

"Of course. Whenever you want."

"Alright, I'll keep in touch."

"Thank you, mother." She pulled back, beaming.

"Alright. Go on, Zagreus." He smiled, then stepped outside.

"Erm...Lord Ares?" And in a flash, he was there.

"Ready to go, my kin?"

"Yes."

"Then Olympus awaits." Ares picked him up in his arms, and Zagreus gasped, then pouted.

"Are you sure you couldn't just carry me on your back?" Ares grinned.

"Quite sure." And they were off.

When they arrived back in Olympus, Thanatos was there.

"Zagreus. I heard you went to meet your mother. I...trust you have all the answers you needed?"

"Most of them, yes."

"Any chance you know why Lord Ares called me here?"

"Um...no."

"To solidify our bond, naturally," Ares said, "Come to my chambers." They followed, and inside they found two daintily-ribboned bottles of ambrosia sitting on a table. Ares took one and handed it to Thanatos.

"For you, Thanatos, my dear Death, whom I could not live without. May you never lose the spontaneity and unflappable charm that make you so uniquely you." Thanatos was speechless, taking the bottle of ambrosia without a word.

"And for you, Zagreus, my sweet kin," Ares said, as he picked up the other bottle of ambrosia and gave it to him, "May you never lose the tenderness and devotion that make you so uniquely you." Ares presented him with the bottle of ambrosia.

"And, Thanatos, Zagreus, may you two never lose the bond forged in the depths of the underworld. And last...may we three devote our lives to eachother eternally. And now, my kin, my emperor...shall we share a drink?" Ares brought out a third bottle of ambrosia. They opened all three, and shared all three, and generally enjoyed a quiet moment.

"I love you both, in different ways," Ares said, "I hope you both know you never need to compete for my affection, nor feel that the other party has something you lack. You are both the love of my life, and I will not have it any other way." 

"All three of us?" Zagreus asked, "Together? Is...that possible?"

"Certainly," Ares said. "Each of our respective relationships will be somewhat different, and that is alright. Do you understand?"

"I...think so?" Thanatos looked away.

"...Duty calls," he said.

"Then go, sweet Death," Ares replied. Zagreus smiled.

"I'll see you around...my love?"

"Zag, if you call me that again, I  _ will _ kill you." He vanished, and Zagreus smiled. And then Ares gently traced a finger over his hand.

"Now, my kin...I have a promise to make good on. Soon enough, you will forget entirely about whatever fantasy version of me Hypnos brought to you...for I will prove the real one is so much better." Zagreus flushed.

"I don't know, five orgasms will be pretty hard to beat…" Zagreus muttered under his breath.

"Five orgasms?" Ares echoed in surprise, "My, this will be a challenge, won't it? I've no doubt even in dreams you were utterly spent by the end of that. Let's see if I can't achieve the same effect. Any pointers to share? Or are you going to make me figure it out by myself. Either is acceptable." Zagreus muttered under his breath.

"Begging your pardon, my kin?"

"...Sensitive to auditory stimulation." 

"Oh, indeed? Well, then…" Ares leaned in close, gently and audibly kissed Zagreus's ear, and smirked when Zagreus shuddered.

"I think we'll have some fun yet."

Ares led them to his chambers, and wasted no time undoing the fastenings of his armour to reveal the clothing underneath. He set his armour down, then came to Zagreus. He reached forward and unbuttoned the clasps, letting Zagreus's chitton fall to the ground around him. It landed with a thud and a small vial rolled away, but Zagreus didn't so much as look at it, his eyes entirely focused on Ares. Ares kissed Zagreus, who moaned.

"We'll save that little mystery for later, then," Ares murmured, and delighted in another shudder from Zagreus. He made a short, humoured sound.

"There will be no end to your torment, Zagreus...but I give you my word it will be most enjoyable. Now, come." Ares led him to the bed, and removed his own chitton as Zagreus crawled back on the bed. Ares leaned over him and kissed him again, then moved down to his neck, and grinned when he saw that Zagreus was squirming already.

"I do hope my dream counterpart told you what a delight you were to have in bed."

"N...no less than...three times...something about...devotion to my partner...my spirit...that bit about...not letting a drop of my pleasure go untapped, that was good…" Ares ran his hands up and down Zagreus's sides, then moved to kiss the center of his chest.

"Well I do indeed promise not to let a single drop of your pleasure go untapped." Ares kissed the center of his chest again, then moved to the side, to a nipple. Zagreus moaned quietly, and Ares chuckled, but said nothing. He licked and sucked on the little bud, and Zagreus was gasping in air to try and keep the sounds in. Once he'd had his fill of the first he switched to the other. As he lavished the nipple with attention he reached down and gently took Zagreus in his hand. He began to stroke slowly, and a few moments later Zagreus suddenly arched and came, shuddering all the while. Ares merely smiled, and kissed the center of his chest to help him come down.

"Perhaps you should service me for a few moments, until you regain your strength," Ares suggested as Zagreus flushed.

"I suppose I've been a little pent up…"

"You're sensitive, Zagreus, and there is no shame in that. In fact, I quite miss being sensitive. All it means is that you get to enjoy multiple orgasms, where the other party enjoys only one. Is that such a bad thing?"

"No, I suppose not…"

"Any lover worth their while understands that sex does not end upon orgasm. Even men can and want to go multiple rounds, and the waiting does not mean sitting and letting go of the atmosphere that has been created. I'll teach you soon enough, Zagreus. For now, tease me as I teased you…" Ares laid on his back as he spoke, and Zagreus kissed him, then began to trace his fingers gently along his body. Ares sighed.

"You're intent on making this a torturous experience for me, as well, then."

"I just want you to feel good...now shush, I'm trying to pleasure you." Ares smiled and obligingly closed his eyes to let Zagreus continue to tease his body gently. Zagreus kissed him, and ran his fingers up and down his body, occasionally stopping to tweak his nipples. He kissed his way down to Ares's half-hard member and set to working it up to full hardness, using his hand and his tongue together. Ares hummed his appreciation, and they continued like that for a while. Ares thrust shallowly into his mouth, and Zagreus moaned, and then Ares was gently pushing him off. Zagreus pulled back with a questioning sound.

"If you've gotten your energy back, I'd like to return to pleasuring you. This is, after all, entirely about you, and it would hardly be fair to make you do the work after you fought so beautifully to make it up here." Zagreus flushed and looked away as Ares switched their positions.

"I was asleep, I hardly did anything…"

"Untrue," Ares said, as he kissed his chest again, "The sleep was a necessary step to keep you bound, as nothing else was working. You forget your relentless struggle to the surface prior. You fought, and you died, and you rose again and fought with unwavering determination no matter how many times you fell...It speaks volumes of that determination to say your father felt a spell from Hypnos would be the only thing to keep you subdued...but you broke free of that as well, with but a little push. Your father was forced to use extreme measures to contain you, as you had proven time and time again that nothing else would suffice. True, you may not have made it to the surface under your own power, but your father's measures make it clear the only thing you needed was time. Such a vicious fight deserves a reward, my kin...Now shush, I'm trying to pleasure you." Zagreus laughed to hear his own words turned back against him, and then he gasped when a single slicked digit began to press gently below.

"When-?"

"Just now, while I was talking. Hush now, no more words." Ares pressed his finger inside, and Zagreus groaned and reached up to wrap his arms around Ares's neck. Ares took advantage of the position to suckle gently at Zagreus's exposed throat, prompting a deep moan.

"You'll ruin me," Zagreus gasped.

"That, I promise," Ares returned, as he pressed a second finger in. He crooked his fingers, and Zagreus arched.

"Ares!" Ares carefully worked Zagreus's body, added a third finger, and took his time deliberately teasing Zagreus.

"Perhaps it's not quantity, but quality," Ares mused, "If one orgasm were to render you utterly senseless, would that suffice?"

"How-however you want," Zagreus gasped.

"But this is your reward, my kin," Ares replied, "Which do you prefer? I can do either." And Ares definitely noticed a shudder at those words.

"I...I want to go...as long as I can…"

"So be it," Ares murmured, understanding despite Zagreus not having answered the question. He crooked his fingers one last time, touching right where Zagreus wanted as he did so, then withdrew and pulled back, leaving Zagreus gasping in the fingers' wake. 

"Ares…" he groaned.

Ares chuckled, then kissed Zagreus deeply.

"Were you close again, my kin? So sorry." He didn't sound even remotely sorry, and his eyes glinted with mischief. He traced his hands down Zagreus's body as he waited for him to calm, scratched the skin and was delighted as Zagreus shuddered with the sensation. Once Zagreus had come back and was no longer on the very of losing himself, Ares finally lined himself and pressed inside. Zagreus groaned, and Ares set a torturously slow pace.

"Faster…!" Zagreus moaned. Ares leaned in close.

" _ Make me _ ," he murmured, right in Zagreus's ear, and Zagreus jerked and reached up to cling to Ares's neck again. Ares made a soft, understanding sound, but didn't say anything. Instead he kissed Zagreus again and kept at his pace.

On and on it went, the excruciatingly slow pace that left Zagreus wanting more. Ares refused to provide, working Zagreus back to the edge as slowly as humanly or inhumanly possible, until he was little more than a moaning mess.

"Ares...my-my lord...please…!" Ares chuckled.

"Begging and hoping my title might make me more amenable...It's really quite becoming of you...but only here."

"Please, Lord Ares, I want...I want…" Ares hummed as he considered.

"Oh...very well." He picked up the pace and began to move faster. He worked his way up smoothly, until he was pounding into Zagreus and Zagreus was all but screaming his pleasure.

"Lord Ares...please!" Ares kissed him, then began to stroke. As before, Zagreus burst with only a few strokes, his whole body shuddering and convulsing with the force of his orgasm. 

***

When Zagreus collapsed back to the bed, his mind was floating pleasantly just out of awareness. It felt good, and he was so worn out. 

"Good, exactly how I hoped you would be," he heard Ares say, but he had no idea what that meant. Ares tilted his head to the side to capture his lips in a kiss, and Zagreus went with it willingly. It started out smooth and languid, but eventually Ares became more insistent in claiming his mouth. Zagreus was too boneless to even try to keep up, so he let Ares do as he pleased, and he noticed that Ares was gasping into the kiss. That seemed important, but the why was just out of reach and he didn't feel like reaching for it. Ares grunted into the kiss, his voice sounded more like a growl than his usual smooth timbre, and after a final grunt and an especially forceful kiss Ares went back to kissing him languidly. And then the why hit him with a jolt. Or, as much of a jolt as his orgasm-addled mind could produce.

_ Oh, he just came. _

Zagreus hummed, and Ares kissed him one more time.

"Goodnight, my kin." He seemed to know that Zagreus would drop off to sleep instead of waking up. And dammit, he was right.


	23. Sweet Dreams

When Zagreus woke, Ares was still there, staring at him fondly.

"Good morning, my kin. I trust you slept well?" Zagreus blinked, and then his face scrunched up.

"Did I sleep all night? I thought it was morning when I left mother…"

"Peace, then, my kin. It is mid-afternoon. You've not slept the entire night." Zagreus went silent.

"...You...you came...after...sorry, I didn't mean to…" 

"Ah...Fret not, my kin, that was exactly what I wanted. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing I've exhausted my partners so utterly. And it was quite amusing to watch you struggle to keep up with my fervour. But enough about that," he said, as Zagreus flushed and looked away, "I've been quite intrigued by our little mystery, while waiting for you to wake, and I'd like to solve it now."

"Little mystery…?"

"The vial that rolled out of your chitton when it fell to the floor."

"What vial?" Zagreus sat up and spotted it on the ground, and frowned at it.

"I left it where it lie, as it was clearly yours." Zagreus got up, put his chitton back on, then knelt and picked up the vial. It was longer than his hand, thick enough to fit comfortably in said hand, and filled with a clear liquid that shone like stars. Carved into the vial on multiple sides were messages in scrawled writing.

"This is Hypnos's writing." It read:

_ Sorry about my part in all this. _

_ One sip before bedtime. _

_ Sweet dreams! _

Zagreus turned the vial this way and that, then unstopped it.

"You intend to drink some now?" Ares asked.

"Why not? It's the only way to see what it does."

"I will keep watch over you, then." Zagreus nodded, then took a sip. Immediately heaviness flooded him, his soul opened up, and he felt himself being pulled down, physically down.

"I suspected as much…" a voice murmured, but Zagreus didn't have the mind to identify it. His eyes closed and he fell backwards, falling through the bed and then down and down and down. The feeling of wind rushing through his hair and along his skin was intoxicating, and Zagreus let himself drift.

When he came to, he was lying on soft grass. 

"Lad. Zagreus. Wake up, lad." Zagreus blinked his eyes open, and saw both Achilles and Patroclus leaning over him. They both smiled when he locked eyes with them.

"Hey there, stranger."

"P...Patroclus…? Achilles? Where am I?" Zagreus sat up, and recognized the scenery enough that he got his answer even before Achilles could deliver it.

"Elysium, lad." Zagreus was sure the confusion was showing on his face.

I...drank from that vial Hypnos gave me…"

"Indeed. Hypnos gave many in the house similar vials." Achilles and Patroclus produced theirs.

"He told us to take a sip before bed until something happened. It had only been granting to us dreamless sleep, but tonight, we appeared here in Elysium, and there you were, floating down from the sky. I suspect the potion allows two dreamers to meet in their dreams. A very thoughtful gift, and no doubt an attempt to make amends for the part he was forced to play in this affair.”

“When you see him next, tell him I don’t plan on holding any grudges.”

“Of course. Come, sit.” They walked together to Patroclus’s usual spot, where, without spoken word at all, the two sat with a space between them which Achilles patted for Zagreus. 

“You two...I...wow…”

“Eloquent, isn’t he, our prince,” Patroclus quipped.

“Leave him be, the poor lad’s had a big change in his life recently,” Achilles snapped teasingly.

"I just...you two...you...you...sat apart...so I could sit between you...you didn't discuss it, you just...both knew…"

"The product of a deep and true love, lad. Now, we have much to catch up on. When Lord Ares took you from your bed I requested he burn the contract that kept me bound to the house, and so I was free to join Patroclus in Elysium. And that...is all there is to our side of the story."

"But wait, wasn't it that you worked in the House in exchange for Patroclus being in Elysium? Won't that change?"

"No. Patroclus has done nothing to warrant removal from Elysium, and since the contract does not exist, technically he cannot hold me by its contents. Now what of you, lad?"

"Well...a lot's happened. Ares told me I almost died when we got to Olympus. My soul was tied to the Underworld, I couldn't be on the surface for too long or I would die, but Thanatos saved me. He...cut the strings around my heart, or something. It was apparently painful, but I don't remember. Lord Dionysus held a huge party...that I think is still going on. It...took me a long time to wake up from Hypnos's spell, and the whole time I kept hearing voices, and laughter...It was nice. And then when I woke up, I joined in on the party for a bit while Ares got me caught up, and then I went straight down to see my mother. She's...wonderful. She, er...she really likes me feet. Kept poking and prodding at them. Something about how they burnt out when I died? I died, as a baby, apparently. So I spent the night with my mother, and then Ares took me back to Olympus, where he...confessed to me? And Than? He says...he wants all three of us to be in a relationship together. It's a bit strange, but...I think I can see what he means. Thanatos and I are so different, it makes sense that he'd love us both in different ways. I...suppose the love I have for Lord Ares is different from what I have for Than, too...I...I wonder what sort of relationship Than and Ares have, Ares is very much the physical type, and Than wants nothing to do with sex ever, not that I'm saying sex is necessary in a relationship, I just wonder how the courting went, you know? Ares mentioned Than's spontaneity, but that doesn't make sense, Than's about as un-spontaneous as you can get- I'm rambling."

"Just a bit," Achilles said gently, "But you've had a big change, you have much to tell, and I'm eager to hear. What else?"

"So, Ares granted us both a bottle of ambrosia, and we shared it. Than left to work, and then...well." Zagreus flushed, and Achilles didn't need to ask.

"...And then we found the vial. Hypnos must've slipped it into my clothes...when he put me under, maybe? So I took a sip and here we are." 

"All in the space of two days. You  _ have  _ had a big change, haven't you, stranger?" Patroclus said.

"I told you the lad would be in shock, Patroclus. But your story does clear up some confusion I had. The Master of the House was absolutely furious with Thanatos, or so we heard from the shades here. He even suffered lashings from the furies, if the rumours are to be believed. If Thanatos cut the strings keeping you eternally tied to the Underworld, then it makes perfect sense that the Master would punish him so harshly. Thanatos would be the sole reason you are on Olympus now, after all, despite all of our best efforts."

"And I'm really grateful for it. I haven't been on Olympus long, and I haven't done much, but...everyone's been so kind to me. Lord Dionysus loves feeding me. Everything up there...they all think it's because I've been asleep for so long, but even the grapes are...exquisite. Better than my dreams, I'd wager." Zagreus smiled, and his gaze slid to Patroclus by chance, and then he froze.

"Oh."

"Lad?"

"Er...I...that is...if this vial...er...um...Patroclus, would you happen to...er...that is...did you by chance...um…"

"Eloquent, isn't he, our prince."

"Quiet, you. You've no need to worry or be embarrassed, lad, speak your piece. Better to get it out than let it fester."

"...I had sex with Patroclus. I gave him a-I-nevermind." Patroclus's eyebrows rose in a gesture of amused befuddlement.

"Well, well. I'm flattered that you would think of me while under the influence of your lust-filled sleeping spell. I don't know if this will ease your heart or pain it, stranger, but the Patroclus you serviced was just a figment of your imagination. We committed no such acts together. Again, though, I am  _ immensely _ flattered to be one of the objects of your attention." Zagreus, cheeks flaming red, nodded curtly while staring intently at the grass.

"Was this before or after I directly asked you who else you had been dreaming about?"

"After," Zagreus replied, as though he were immensely relieved that was the truth, "It was, I think...maybe...one of the first dreams I had after I tried to escape? You- He- Patroclus, he...mentioned that the Fates hadn't been kind to me. I...Now that I think about it, I wonder if...some small part of me...didn't... _ know _ , what had happened to me."

"Perhaps. But that's all in the past now. You made it out, to Olympus, and now you have eternity to be happy. Oh, and it may interest you to know that your Lord Father had a change of heart regarding a certain court musician."

"Orpheus?" Zagreus demanded, "Where is he, is he alright?"

"More than alright, lad. It seems after your departure, your Lord Father was so desperate for the small comfort of Orpheus's singing that he allowed musician and muse to be reunited. He speaks highly of you, though he seems to be under the impression that this was a deliberate scheme on your part. He's composed a hymn about you...and now everyone is gossiping about the news that you fathered Lord Dionysus. After being slain by the titans. And how the entirety of humanity rose from the ashes of your destruction. Would you care to explain any of that, lad?" Zagreus swallowed.

"I...he got so lively, when I told him about the things I'd done, and I wanted him to start singing so father wouldn't punish him, so I...started saying more and more outlandish things...like how i battled my way out of Asphodel with one hand tied behind my back on a dare from Poseidon...and then Dionysus suggested telling him we were the same blood, and...it...well...sort of...spiraled out of control. I tried to tell him none of it was true, but…" Zagreus was interrupted by the feel of Patroclus shaking with laughter beside him. 

"Oh, I see why you love this one so much. He already has his charms, but to know he's a trickster to boot…" Zagreus smiled, and laid his head on Achilles's shoulder.

"Is he always this intolerable, Achilles?"

"Afraid so, lad." Zagreus chuckled.

"Get used to it, stranger. If we'll be meeting in our dreams - and I know my Achilles will want to see you every change he gets - you'll be seeing a lot of me. Besides," He gave Zagreus a pat on the shoulder "Achilles talks about how you considered him a father figure. I suppose I too would like a wayward son to take care of." 

"You don't need to want a wayward son anymore, Patroclus," Zagreus mumbled, and Achilles frowned to hear a sudden and considerable slur in his voice, "You already have me, dad." Patroclus let out a huff of laughter through his nose.

"Good to hear. You doing alright, stranger? It seems to me you're looking a tad sickly."

"Mmm…'malright," Zagreus mumbled, "Just a little sleepy, is all."

"We're in a dream, lad...Perhaps this is to signal that you'll be waking up soon."

"Don't...want...to go…" His eyes were already closing, and Achilles wrapped an arm around him.

"It's alright, lad. When next you sleep, just drink from the vial. You'll see someone again. It could be us, or your mother Nyx, or Orpheus, if he feels so inclined, but you will meet us agan. This isn't goodbye forever. Hypnos made sure of that. Rest easy, lad. All is well." 

"...L...love you…" Patroclus kissed the top of Zagreus's head."

"We love you too...son." Zagreus groaned, and then it seemed that his body became less solid. He slipped backwards out of their hold and then slowly began to float skyward.

"...And he's off," Patroclus said, and Achilles smiled.

"And he's off. Back to Olympus where he has two lovers, and Lord Dionysus waiting with a feast. He's happy, I'm sure of it. And I couldn't be happier for him." Achilles's head bowed as he was suddenly overcome by inescapable drowsiness.

"I think our own dream is coming to an end…"

"I feel it too," Patroclus said, as he pulled Achilles close and laid in the grass, "Come, my love. Let us end this dream by falling asleep in eachother's arms."

They closed their eyes, and slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is about it for major plot points. All I have left is one or two loose ends that don't need to be tied up, really. Might do an epilogue that would essentially be the gods making Zagreus's dreams a reality?


	24. My Little Piece of Forever

"You are a  _ sight _ , Zagreus, has anyone told you that, because if not, let me be the first." The celebratory feast was still in full swing, but this time Zagreus was fully awake and had no worries darkening his brow, and thus could enjoy it to the fullest.

As they were now, Dionysus was lounging on a pile of cushions, and Zagreus was lounging in between Dionysus's thighs and using one as a pillow.

They were both drunk.

Zagreus felt pressure on his low back and he arched and groaned. Poseidon chuckled.

"Why, this is the best idea you've ever had, nephew! It feels absolutely  _ luxurious _ ." Poseidon was using his water to massage Zagreus, and doing the same to himself. Poseidon massaged Zagreus, and Zagreus rested drunkenly in Dionysus's lap. After a while Zagreus stopped responding, no longer even moaning his pleasure at the massage.

"He's so peaceful, it's hard to tell if he's even still awake," Poseidon said.

"Oh he's definitely still awake," Dionysus said, carding a hand through Zagreus and prompting a shiver, "Sometimes things get so good you just need to close your eyes and enjoy it, you know? Best feeling in the world, especially because if you  _ do  _ drop off to sleep it's no big deal, you were already halfway there already."

"D...Dio…" Zagreus slurred.

"What's up, Zag?"

"...Grape?" 

"Oh,  _ definitely _ ." Dionysus plucked a grape and placed it into Zagreus's open mouth, grinning when, as always, Zagreus bit down and moaned.

"It's always so nice to know I'm making you feel good, Zag. I've half a mind to make you feel even better...but you're looking a little more asleep than awake right now, not that there's anything wrong with that, Zag. Time for your vial, do you think?"

"Oh...yes, vial now, I think…" 

"Been looking forward to this for hours. Sit up a little, Zag." Zagreus complied, with some help, moved to rest against Dionysus's chest and obediently opened his mouth so Dionysus could tip some of the vial's liquid past his parted lips. He swallowed, and then as always he felt himself being pulled down, right through Dionysus's chest and through the floor, and then he was falling again.

***

"Zagreus." Zagreus blinked himself awake to find himself sitting leaned against a wall right next to Nyx's favourite spot in the House. He looked up, and she was there.

"Nyx?"

"Zagreus." He stood.

"How are you, Nyx. I heard father was angry with Than...was he angry with you, too?"

"It's still much too soon to speak of these events in the past tense. He is angry with us, and will continue to be angry with us for quite some time. This is…not the outcome I had anticipated when I put you in contact with the Olympians. I did not know Hades would take such pains to keep you bound here."

"What did you anticipate?"

"I expected you would eventually break free and find your mother. I had hoped we might find a solution that would enable her to come out of hiding."

"She's in hiding?"

"The olympians cannot know she is alive." Zagreus went pale.

"They can't? But...Lord Ares...and that was weeks ago…"

"Lord Ares knows? And for how long?"

"A few weeks…" Nyx thought.

"It would seem he is keeping the secret, though I wonder what prompted him to do so. Tell no more than you have, do you understand?" Zagreus nodded hurriedly.

"And...you, Nyx? Are you alright?"

"I am alright. Hades will eventually move past all of this. Your life on Olympus, is it everything you hoped for?"

"Yes, and more, though I'm glad Hypnos gave me this vial so I could see everyone. I'll drink from it every night, just in case."

"Achilles will be most pleased." Zagreus sighed, and Nyx smiled.

"Hypnos's vial does not control how long you sleep, only that our dreams meet. If you're feeling weary already, that must mean you only took a short nap."

"Nyx, I...thank you for everything. And I'm sorry things are hard for you because of me."

"Thanatos and I both decided we could bear it for your happiness. Now go. An eternity of happiness awaits. And should you ever wish to relay any messages, remember that Thanatos can move freely between Olympus and the Underworld."

"Right...Thanks, Nyx."

"Send my regards to your mother, when next you meet."

"I will."

"Goodbye, Zagreus."

"Bye, Nyx." Zagreus sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and let himself sleep.

***

"Hey, Zag, just in time! Look who just got back from their surface war!"

"Nice nap, Zag?"

"I trust you slept well, my kin?" 

Zagreus got up from Dionysus's lap and wrapped his arms around the both of them.

"I love you, both of you. So much."

"Coming to Olympus has turned you into a sap, Zag."

"Hush, my dear Death, he is allowed to be emotional from time to time. No doubt he'll be back to himself as he adjusts to the change."

"Well I wish he'd hurry up, this is strange to see."

Zagreus laughed, and clutched them even tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I think we're done! Thank you so much to everyone, now and later on, who's read this. I'm glad you all enjoyed my plot what plot that turned into a porn with plot that turned into just another fic, lol.


End file.
